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Consumer Alerts

As the Banking industry gears up to implement even tighter security measures to comply with new laws on identification - bank customers may see an increase in fraudulent contact attempting to get personal information. These changes, however, DO NOT require that you provide your personal information to anyone.

ableBanking will never ask you to provide your personal security information via email, telephone, fax or via the mail. PIN Numbers and passwords should only be known to you. No ableBanking employee would ever ask you for this information.

Do NOT respond to e-mail, mail, fax, or telephone requests for your personal information regarding re-registering your accounts or for the following:

  • User names
  • Passwords
  • PIN numbers
  • Account Numbers

 

ableBanking cares about you and we want to ensure the highest level of protection. If you receive requests for your personal information contact ableBanking immediately at 1.800.426.2243.

Definitions

What is Phishing? (FISHing)
Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to attempt to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, and/or other sensitive information.

Example Citations:
Phishing is the term coined by hackers who imitate legitimate companies in e-mails to entice people to share passwords or credit card numbers.

What is Spoofing?
Pretending to be something it is not, on the Internet, usually an email or Web site.

How to report Phishing?
We suggest reporting phishing e-mails or spoofed Web sites to the following groups:

  • Forward the e-mail to report phishing@antiphising.org
  • Forward the e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov
  • Forward the e-mail to the "abuse" e-mail address at the company that is being spoofed
  • When forwarding spoofed messages, always include the entire original e-mail with its original header information intact
  • Notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center of the FBI by filing a complaint on their web site

Recommended Actions if You've Become a Victim of a Phishing Scam

If you have Given out your Credit, Debit, or ATM Card Information

  • Report the incident to the card issuer as quickly as possible
  • Report using toll-free numbers and 24-hour service that many companies have established to deal with such emergencies
  • Request your card issuer close your compromised account number and reissue you a new card with a different number
  • Monitor your account activity and review account statements carefully after the information loss
  • If any unauthorized charges appear, call the card issuer immediately and follow up with a hard copy letter via a traditional delivery service such as the U.S. Postal Service (keep a copy for yourself) describing each questionable charge

 

Credit Card Loss or Fraudulent Charges
Your maximum liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your credit card is generally $50. However, that $50 potential liability probably does not apply for unauthorized telephone and Internet transactions because there is "no means to identify the cardholder" in those cases.

ATM or Debit Card Loss or Fraudulent Transfers

  • Your liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your ATM or Debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss
  • You risk unlimited loss if you fail to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after your bank statement containing unauthorized use is mailed to you for transactions made after that 60-day period

 

If You have given out Your Bank Account Information

  • Report the theft of this information to the bank as quickly as possible
  • Request your bank close the compromised account and re-open a like account with a different number

 

If you have given out your personal identification information

If you believe you have given out personal information such as your name, address, and Social Security number to someone who may use it for fraud:

  • Contact the three major credit reporting agencies -- Experian, Equifax and TransUnion -- and do the following:
    • Request that the agencies place a fraud alert and a victim's statement in your file
    • Request a free copy of your credit report to check whether any accounts were opened without your consent
    • Request that the agencies remove inquiries and/or fraudulent accounts stemming from the theft

Major Credit Bureaus

Equifax

  • To order your report, call: 800.685.1111 or write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
  • To report fraud, call: 800.525.6285 and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
  • Hearing impaired call 1.800.255.0056 and ask the operator to call the Auto Disclosure Line at 1.800.685.1111 to request a copy of your report

 

Experian

  • To order your report, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397.3742) or write: P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013
  • To report fraud, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397.3742) and write: P.O. Box 9530, Allen, TX 75013. TDD: 1.800.972.0322

 

Trans Union

To order your report, call: 800.888.4213 or write: P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022
To report fraud, call: 800.680.7289 and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634. TDD 1.877.553.7803