Fraud Prevention

Debit Card Safety

What you need to know:

1. The Fraud Center has a new Phone Number.
   1. When contacted by the Fraud Center, you will have the option to speak to a live fraud analyst.
2. An automatic text message will be sent to each text capable contact number you have on file.
   1. All text messages from the Fraud Center are free! No cost to you. Ever.
   2. You will be prompted to confirm whether the detailed transaction is legitimate.
      • If fraudulent, a specialist will call you and your card will be stopped.
      • If legitimate, your card is unblocked and you can resume using the account.
3. An automatic email message will be sent to the email address you have on file.
   1. You will be prompted via hyperlink to confirm whether the detailed transaction is legitimate.
   2. You will receive a confirmation email once you have responded to the initial communication.

Online Security

Protecting Your Computer

1. Anti-virus should be downloaded and active on the PC. Free versions are usually better suited for home environments and are still generally not as complete as others. Anti-virus should include, at a minimum: real-time protection, anti-spyware, install regular updates and scan email attachments.
   
2. When security patches are released for the operating system and Internet Browser being used they should be downloaded and kept up to date.
   
3. Internet Security Level settings should be set as high as possible while allowing the computer to function logically.
   
4. Internet Browsers should never be allowed to remember passwords. These are stored as cookies and easily accessed if the computer is compromised.
   
5. Passwords should be changed at least every 90 days.
   
6. Passwords should never be shared with anyone.
7. mySwift Stellar tells each customer when they last logged into their online banking. This can be viewed at the bottom of the screen. Customers should always check this information to ensure no one else has been logged into their account.
   

Submitting Forms Online

Sending E-mail to Swift Stellar

General E-mail Security

Links to Third Party Websites

Financial Elder Abuse

What is Financial Elder Abuse?

• Taking money or property.
  
• Forging a signature.
  
• Getting an elderly individual to sign a deed, will, or power of attorney through deception, coercion, or undue influence.
  
• Using the elderly individual’s property or possessions without permission.
  
• Promising lifelong care in exchange for money or property and not following through on the promise.
  
• Confidence crimes ("cons") are the use of deception to gain victims' confidence.
  
• Scams are fraudulent or deceptive acts.
  
• Fraud is the use of deception, trickery, false pretense, or dishonest acts or statements for financial gain.
  
• Telemarketing scams. Perpetrators call victims and use deception, scare tactics, or exaggerated claims to get them to send money. They may also make charges against victims' credit cards without authorization.
  

Caregiver Exploitation

Outside Party Exploitation

• Taking donations for fake charities.
  
• Investment fraud.
  
• Jackpot prize winnings (elderly have to pay money in order to claim prize.)
  
• Emergency Scams (my child is in the hospital and I don’t have money for gas, etc.)
  
• Work Scams (is there some work I can do for you, and then charging an excessive amount for the work.)
  

How do I report elder abuse?

Identity Theft

How can I keep this from happening to me?

• Shred your mail, financial documents, or any paperwork with your personal information listed on them instead of tossing them in the waste basket.
  
• Protect your Social Security Number (SSN) – Don’t write your SSN on a check or carry your Social Security card in your purse or wallet. Give out your SSN only when necessary and ask if they would take some other type of identifying information instead.
  
• For personal information that you need to keep, make sure you store it in a secure area at home.
  
• Do not use obvious passwords like your mother’s maiden name, your date of birth, or the last four digits of your SSN.
  
• Do not give out personal information over the phone, through mail, or over the Internet unless you are certain you are dealing with a secure entity.
  
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails!! Instead, type in a known web address from your browser. Use anti-virus software on your home computer and be sure to keep this software up-to-date.
  

How do I know if I’ve been a victim?

• A bill does not arrive as expected.
  
• You receive credit card or account statements that you were unaware of.
  
• Call or letters about purchases you did not perform.
  
• Denial of credit for no obvious reason.
  
• Review your Financial Statements
  • Review your financial accounts and billing statements regularly to look for charges that you’ve not made.
    

What if I become a victim of ID Theft?

• Close any account that has been fraudulently tampered with.
  • Contact the security or fraud department of each company where there was an account opened or changed without your consent.
    
  • Ask for verification that the disputed account has been closed.
    
  • Keep copies of documents and records of your conversations about your ID theft.
    
• File a Police Report
  • File a report with the police to give to creditors who may want proof of the crime.
    

Social Media Security

• Computer savvy hackers who specialize in writing and manipulating computer code to gain access or install unwanted software on your computer or phone.
  
• Social or human hackers who specialize in exploiting personal connections through social networks. Social hackers, sometimes referred to as “social engineers,” manipulate people through social interactions (in person, over the phone, or in writing).

Preventative Measures

• Do not store any information you want to protect on any device that connects to the Internet.
  
• Always use high security settings on social networking sites, and be very limited in the personal information you share. Monitor what others are posting about you on their online discussions.
  
• Use anti-virus and firewall software. Keep them, and your browser, and operating systems patched and updated.
  
• Change your passwords periodically, and do not reuse old passwords. Do not use the same password for more than one system or service. For example, if someone obtains the password for your email, can they access your online banking information with the same password?
  
• Do not post anything that might embarrass you later, or that you don’t want strangers to know.
  
• Verify those you correspond with. It is easy for people to fake identities over the Internet.
  
• Do not automatically download or respond to content on a website or in an email. Do not click on links in email messages claiming to be from a social networking site. Instead go to the site directly to retrieve messages.
  
• Only install applications or software that come from trusted, well-known sites. “Free” software may come with malware. Verify what information applications will be able to access prior to enabling them. Once installed, keep it updated. If you no longer use it, delete it.
• Disable Global Position System (GPS) encoding. Many digital cameras encode the GPS location of a photo when it is taken. If that photo is uploaded to a site, so are the GPS coordinates, which will let people know that exact location.
  
• Whenever possible, encrypt communications with websites. It may be a feature social network sites allow you to enable.
  
• Avoid accessing your personal accounts from public computers or through public WiFi spots.
  
• Beware of unsolicited contacts from individuals in person, on the telephone, or on the Internet who are seeking corporate or personal data.
  
• Monitor your bank statements, balances, and credit reports.