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Protect Your Identity

Because your secure identity is a priority at for Beach Municipal, we provide you with a variety of products and services that can help keep your identity yours.

Direct Deposit - eliminates "live" checks, is more secure, and allows for faster availability of funds.

eStatements - eliminates the potential for mail theft, is available sooner than mailed statements and doesn't take up the space that paper statements do.

Virtual Branch Home banking - eliminates possible vulnerability by banking by mail and saves fuel by limiting branch visits.

Virtual Branch Bill payer - eliminates the potential for mail theft, saves on postage and is easy to integrate with personal finance packages like Money or Quicken.

-- a subscription service that monitors changes in your credit report every business day. If anything changes you'll get an email alert so that you may investigate the change.

Security Tips

  • At home keep personal information safe, especially if you have roommates or are having any work done in your home. Don’t keep Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) near your checkbook, ATM card, or debit card.
  • Shred any papers with confidential information before you throw them out – even the junk mail. Anything with an account number can be used in identity theft. This includes prescreened credit card offers, receipts, canceled checks, credit union statements, expired charge cards, doctors’ bills, and insurance documents.
  • Don’t give out any confidential information – such as your credit card number, social security number, or PIN unless you initiated the contact with a business. Be careful of unexpected emails that look as if they are from a legitimate company asking you to enter some information at a linked website; sometimes phony websites can look real.
  • Check your credit union and credit card statements regularly to make sure there is no unexplained activity.
  • Keep track of when your bills usually arrive. If a bill does not arrive on time, call the company to make sure no changes have been made to your account. Often, identity thieves will change the address of a bill so that it will take you longer to figure out the scam.
  • Carefully check your credit reports regularly. Your credit reports are important tools for limiting the amount of damage a thief can cause.  To learn how to get three free credit reports a year, click here.
  • When choosing a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your ATM or for other purposes, use one that is hard to guess. Avoid the last four digits of your social security number, your mother’s maiden name, birth dates, names of pets, or even the name of your hometown baseball team. Try to mix numbers, letters and symbols.
  • Make it harder for thieves to use your accounts. Put passwords on credit card, credit union, and phone accounts. Get credit cards with your picture on them. Call the companies that issue the accounts and find out what security options they offer.
  • Use only secure sites when making online purchases. Secure pages begin with “https.”
  • Don’t print your social security number on your checks.
  • Be suspicious of any email or phone calls with urgent request for personal financial information. Never give out financial information such as checking and credit card numbers, or your Social Security number, unless you know the person or organization you’re dealing with, even someone claiming to be from your credit union or bank. Your financial institution will never call and ask for this type of information.
  • Notify your credit union of suspicious phone inquiries such as those asking for account information to “verify a statement” or “award a prize.”
  • Don’t use the links in an email to get to any web page and do not reply to the email.
  • Report lost or stolen checks immediately. Always review new deliveries of checks to make sure none were stolen in transit.
  • Closely guard your Personal Identification Numbers for your credit and debit cards and online banking access. Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions.
  • Notify your credit union, bank or credit card issuer immediately if you discover any erroneous or suspicious transactions on your statements.

 

Helpful Links

  • Equifax
    PO Box 740241
    Atlanta, GA 30374
    www.Equifax.com
    Report Fraud: 800.525.6285
    Order a Credit Report: 800-685-1111
  • Experian
    PO Box 2002
    Allen, TX 75013
    www.experian.com
    Report Fraud and Order a Credit Report: 888.EXPERIAN or 888.397.3742
  • TransUnion
    PO Box 1000
    Chester, PA 19022
    www.transunion.com
    Report Fraud: 800-680-7289
    Order Credit Report: 800-916-8800
  • Federal Trade Commission
    Identity Theft Clearinghouse
    600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20580
    www.consumer.gov/idtheft
    Report Fraud: 877.ID THEFT (877.438.4338)
  • Social Security Administration
    PO Box 17768
    Baltimore, MD 21235
    www.ssa.gov
    Social Security Fraud Hot Line: 800.269.0271
  • US Postal Inspection Service
    475 L’Enfant Plaza SW
    Washington, DC 20260
    www.usps.gov/postalinspectors
    Social Security Fraud Hot Line: 800.372.8347

Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html

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