According to a report from USA Today, a national data breach has led to hackers obtaining and subsequently releasing 2.9 billion records containing people’s sensitive personal information.
The compromised information includes Social Security numbers, names, current and past addresses, names of relatives, email addresses, and phone numbers.
Although a lot is still unknown about the situation, we remain committed to helping you protect your personal information and finances in light of this data breach. If you have any concerns about the breach, please do not hesitate to contact your banker or call us at (605) 335-5200 or 800-339-1160.
Meanwhile, learn more about steps you can take to protect yourself below:
How to protect yourself from fraud and identity theft
If you are worried that your information may have been compromised in the data breach, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of fraud or identity theft.
Place a security freeze on your credit at each of the three credit bureaus. This is free to do and helps prevent new accounts from being opened in your name. Note, though, that you will need to lift your freeze either temporarily or permanently the next time you apply for new credit.
To learn more, visit the three credit reporting agencies here: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Monitor your credit reports, and consider signing up for a credit monitoring service. You can request one free copy of your credit report a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. Consider pulling your report from each bureau at a different time during the year so that you can regularly check for errors or signs of identity theft.
“You may also want to consider utilizing a credit monitoring service that will notify you of changes to your credit,” says FNB Fraud/Disputes Team Leader Tammy Garcia. “Some of these services are free to use, and they’re a great way to keep an eye on your credit in between pulling your reports.”
Set up online banking, if you haven’t already. This can help prevent fraudsters from opening a fake account in your name. Plus, when you have online banking with us, you can easily ensure that we have your most up-to-date information for contact and verification purposes. To enroll in a Personal Online Banking account, go here.
Make sure your information in online banking is up to date. To help protect you and your finances, it’s essential that we have an accurate phone number and email address on file. You can easily update this information under the “Profile” section in Personal Online Banking.
Set up security challenge questions, if you haven’t already. Challenge questions are our primary form of verification, so having them set up on your account is important — especially when other verification methods such as your Social Security number or birthdate may have been compromised by fraudsters.
To set up or change your challenge questions, log in to Personal Online Banking, go to the “Profile” section, and select “Edit” across from “Security Challenge.” Or, you are welcome to visit any of our full-service branches and ask a banker to help you update them.
Set up two-factor authentication for online banking and other accounts. This added layer of security will help protect you and your accounts from fraudsters who may try using compromised information to log in. You can choose to set up two-factor authentication in the settings of most accounts, or you can use an authenticator app like Duo that allows you to approve or decline login attempts for registered accounts.
Change the passwords for your bank accounts, email, and other important services. Although passwords were not reported to be part of the breach, you’ll want to ensure that your accounts are locked down as securely as possible. It’s also best practice to use a different password for each account and to make sure they are strong passwords a fraudster won’t be able to guess.
Don’t click on suspicious links in text messages or emails regarding the situation. For example, if you receive a text message from someone claiming they can remove your compromised information from the web if you just click on a link, delete it. It’s likely a malicious link that could potentially download malware or solicit more personal information.
“If you receive an email, text message, phone call, or physical mail that makes you question whether your information has been compromised, you should visit the website of the organization directly,” Tammy says, “or call them directly at the phone number listed on their website.”
You should also ensure that you don’t end up on a website that has been spoofed by fraudsters. Always check that the website’s URL begins with https:// (the “s” stands for secure), and check for a secure connection using the lock icon that appears in your browser’s search bar.
What to do if you think you are a victim of fraud
According to IdentityTheft.gov, here are the steps you should take if you think you’ve fallen victim to fraud:
Step 1: Call the companies at which fraud has occurred. Explain to them that your identity may have been stolen, and ask them to close or freeze the accounts. As an added measure of security: change your logins, passwords, and PINs for these accounts.
Step 2: Place a fraud alert by contacting one of the three credit bureaus. That company will then inform the other two bureaus.
- Experian.com/fraudalert, 888-397-3742
- Equifax.com/CreditReportAssistance, 888-766-0008
- TransUnion.com/fraud, 800-680-7289
At this point, you should also request and review your credit reports. Any unfamiliar account or transaction should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the police.
Step 3: File a report with the Federal Trade Commission. Visit IdentityTheft.gov to report the identity theft, including as many details as possible, and to receive a personal recovery plan that will walk you through next steps.
We’re here to help in any way we can
At First National Bank, we have measures in place to help keep your accounts locked down and your hard-earned money safe from fraudsters.
In addition to using security challenge questions for an added layer of security and identity verification, we also have a two-factor authentication system in place for Personal Online Banking. Any time you log in to your account from a new, unregistered device, you will be required to input a six-digit verification code sent to your phone via text or call.
We also have an amazing team of people just like Tammy who want to help protect you from fraud. So, if you ever have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to stop by a branch, reach out to your banker, or give us a call at (605) 335-5200 or 800-339-1160.
