Identity Fraud
Identity Fraud happens when someone uses your personal information
without your permission to make illegal purchases or withdrawals, or even
open accounts. Click on the links below for helpful information about Identity
Fraud. Customers of Hingham Institution for Savings are also eligible for
special savings on the Equifax Credit Monitoring service.
Report lost or stolen Debit or ATM cards immediately.
Call toll-free 1.800.264.5578
FDIC
Consumer Alert
Federal
Trade Commission: Your National Resource for Identity Theft
Download our brochure
for helpful information on "Phishing" (PDF file)
Protect yourself against Identity Fraud
- Never provide your personal information in response to
an unsolicited request.
- Never provide your password over the phone or in response
to an unsolicited Internet request.
- Never reply to an e-mail that asks for personal information
and tells you to access the link provided in the e-mail.
- Watch out for e-mails that say "urgent" or
"time sensitive". This is generally a scam to obtain your financial
information.
- Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges
are correct and make sure that they are arriving in a timely manner.
- Never provide personal financial information, including
your Social Security number, account numbers or passwords, over the phone
or the Internet if you did not initiate the contact.
- Never click on the link provided in an e-mail you believe
is fraudulent. It may contain a virus that can contaminate your computer.
- Minimize the identification information and the number
of cards you carry to what you actually need. If your I.D. or credit cards
are lost or stolen, notify the creditors by phone immediately, and call
the credit bureaus to ask that a "fraud alert" be placed in your
file.
- Keep items with personal information in a safe place;
shred or tear them up when you don’t need them anymore. Make sure charge receipts,
copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements,
expired charge cards, and credit offers you get in the mail are disposed
of appropriately.
