Offshore High Risk Merchants
Domestic and International Merchant accounts

ID Theft

HOW TO PREVENT ID THEFT

  • Don’t leave mail in your residential mailbox.
  • Don’t store personal information or account numbers on computers with modems.
  • Don’t carry your Social Security number, other personal information or account numbers in your wallet or purse.
  • Take ATM, credit card and other receipts with you, and either save them in a safe place or destroy them.
  • Shred documents that could contain personal information.
  • Don’t give any part of your Social Security number or personal account numbers over the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with.
  • Never click on links sent in unsolicited e-mails.
  • Don’t use obvious passwords like your birth date, your mother’s maiden name or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
  • Never put your account number on an envelope or a postcard.
  • Keep a record of your credit card numbers, their expiration dates and the telephone numbers of each company for reporting losses.
  • Open billing statements promptly and compare them with your receipts. Report any mistakes in writing immediately.

DETECT ID THEFT

  • Be alert to signs of suspicious activity, such as:
  • Bills that do not arrive as expected
  • Bills and other accounts that have purchases you did not make
  • Unexpected credit cards or account statements
  • Denials of credit for no apparent reason
  • Calls or letters about purchases you did not make

INSPECT YOUR CREDIT REPORT

The law requires the three major national consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — to give you a copy of your credit report each year if you ask for it.

IF YOU SUSPECT IDENTITY THEFT

  • File a police report immediately.
  • Cancel credit cards and get new cards with new account numbers. (Federal and state law limit your responsibility to the first $50.)
  • Report missing cards to the three major credit reporting services.
  • Place a “fraud alert” on your credit reports and review them carefully. Placing a fraud alert entitles you to free copies of your report. A call to one of the companies is sufficient.
  • Call the security or fraud departments of each credit card company where an account was opened or changed without your approval. Follow in writing with copies of supporting documents.
  • Ask for verification that the disputed account has been closed and the fraudulent debits discharged.
  • Keep copies of documents and records of your conversations about the theft.
  • Report the loss to your bank. Cancel checking and savings accounts and open new ones. Stop payment on all outstanding checks.
  • Get a new ATM card, account number, PIN and online password.
  • Call your utilities, including the phone company. Inform them someone may try to get new service using your identification.
  • Report a missing driver’s license to the Kansas Division of Motor Vehicles and get a new driver’s license.
  • Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission to help law enforcement officials across the country investigate. Contact the FTC at 877-ID-THEFT (438-4338), online at ftc.gov/idtheft, or by mail at Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580.