A good way to prevent identity theft is to check your credit report. The official website, annualcreditreport.com, is the ONLY authorized online source for you to get a free credit report under federal law. You can get a free report from each of the three national credit reporting companies every 12 months. Some other sites claim to offer 'free' credit reports, but may charge you for another product if you accept a 'free' report.

"URLZone" is a Trojan specifically designed to withdraw money from your bank account.  After visiting a compromised site, the Trojan infects your computer, accesses your Internet Banking account, and transfers the money out of your account.  The scary thing is, the Trojan rewrites your transaction history so that you can’t see what’s taken place.

"Scareware" is bogus software that acts as if it is a legitimate security program.  An official-looking pop-up claims that malware was detected and that you must download security software.  Once downloaded, the software contains malware designed to steal personal information.  Only download software from a known source; NEVER download software from a pop-up message.

"Vishing" is phone-based phishing.  Fraudsters send text or voice messages to card holders, claiming that your debit cards have been deactivated and to call a phone number to reactivate.  Once you call the phone number, you are asked to give out your debit card numbers and PIN numbers.  SJNB will NEVER contact you via text messaging, and we will NEVER ask for your PIN numbers.

• "Hurry or your account will be suspended."
• "We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity."
• "During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information."

"Smishing" is another variation of phishing.  A fraudster uses cell phone text messages to lure you to a website…or perhaps to use a phone number that connects to an automated voice response system.

• Always use a unique password for your Internet Banking account.
• If you get an email that warns you, with little or no notice, that an account of yours will be shut down unless you reconfirm your billing information, do not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number or website address you know to be genuine.
• Avoid emailing personal and financial information. Before submitting financial information through a website, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar; it signals that your information is secure during transmission.
• Review bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your bank to confirm your billing address and account balances. Online banking provides access to your statement on a daily basis.
• Report a lost or stolen debit card immediately; to report a lost debit/ATM card outside regular business hours, call (620) 694-6767. Sign the back of your card and memorize your PIN; never reveal your PIN to anyone.
• Spyware software, installed on your computer without your consent, monitors or controls your computer use. It may be used to send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to bogus websites, monitor your Internet surfing, or record your keystrokes, which, in turn, could lead to identity theft. If you think your computer might have spyware on it, experts advise that you take three steps: Get an anti-spyware program from a vendor you know and trust. Set it to scan on a regular basis - at least once a week - and every time you start your computer, if possible. And, delete any software programs the anti-spyware program detects that you don't want on your computer. The clues that spyware hides on your computer are identified on the below-named website.
• Keep smart phone operating systems up-to-date; use passwords to gain access to your phone; install apps that will enable remote deletion of phone data if it is lost or stolen.

Additional resources include those listed below:
Internet Crime Complaint Center - www.ic3.gov
Consumer Fraud (Department of Justice Homepage) - www.usdoj.gov
Consumer Guides and Protection - www.usa.gov
Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force - www.stopfraud.gov
On Guard Online - www.onguardonline.gov