What is it?

Identity theft is when someone uses another person's personal information to commit fraud or other crimes. The crime can be committed in person, over the telephone, Internet, or through the mail.

Identity theft usually occurs when someone obtains another person's Social Security number, driver's license number, bank account number, credit card numbers, online passwords, personal identification numbers (PINs), date of birth and other personal information. With this data, a criminal can access the victim’s bank accounts and brokerage accounts, open a new but fraudulent bank account and credit cards, make purchases and obtain false loans.

In addition to the financial loss, identity theft can also damage the victim’s credit record. The damage is often expensive and time-consuming to correct.

To help protect yourself against identity theft, there are actions you can take.

Protect yourself online:

• Delete any e-mail without opening it if you don’t recognize the sender. Never respond to e-mails, open attachments or click on links from suspicious or unknown senders.


• Be suspicious of any e-mail, pop-up window or link that asks for your personal information, such as your Social Security number, account numbers, personal identification number or any other personal information or identification. Downey Savings would never ask you to provide or verify personal information in an e-mail or pop-up window format.


• Install anti-virus protection software and keep it current by using its automatic update features.


• Use a personal firewall. A personal firewall is a special program that helps protect your computer and its contents from outsiders on the Internet or a network. When installed properly, it prevents unauthorized traffic to and from your computer.


• Establish hard-to-decode passwords and change them frequently. Once established, protect your passwords.
• Use the automatic update features in your Operating System to keep it updated with the latest security patches.


• Avoid using automatic login features that save your user name and password.


• Never open any e-mail attachments, web links or files if you do not know the source is completely trustworthy.


• Never share your PIN or password.


• Be on alert for “phishing” e-mails in which the sender attempts to get you to reveal confidential information.

Protect Your Property:

• Report all lost or stolen cards immediately. (For your Downey Savings Debit cards, call 1-800-936-9639.)


• Keep a separate record of your account numbers and important phone numbers in a safe place so you can contact the credit card company or financial institution quickly.


• Review your account, debit and credit card statements and report any suspicious charges promptly.


• Review your receipts, bank account, debit and credit card statements before disposing of them and report any suspicious charges, promptly.


• Shred all of your receipts, bank and credit card statements before disposing of them.

Protect Your Social Security Number:

• Don't print your Social Security number or driver's license number on your checks.


• Keep your Social Security Card in a safe place instead of carrying it with you in your wallet.


• Don’t give your Social Security number unless you know who is asking for it and why they need it.

Protect your mail:

• Promptly remove your mail from the mailbox.


• Do not put outgoing mail in your mailbox the night before pickup.


• Consider using Downey Savings’ free Online Banking and free Online Bill pay to prevent mail fraud and save you time and postage. You can demo these free services by clicking here.


• Pay attention to billing cycles and call if you do not receive an expected bill in a timely manner. An identity thief may have taken the bill from your mailbox to get the account number.

3 things to do if you suspect that you’re a victim of identity theft:

• Call Downey Savings at 1-800-936-9639 and any other financial institution where you have an account that might be affected.


• File a report of identity theft with your local police department. Keep a copy of the report.


• Contact one of the 3 major credit bureaus to report the incident. Ask the credit bureau to put a “fraud alert” on your file. Once the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will automatically be notified to put fraud alerts on their records. Credit reports from all 3 bureaus will be sent to you free of charge. Review your credit reports and notify the bureaus about anything that looks suspicious.

Regularly review your credit report from all three major credit bureaus to make sure that new credit card or other accounts have not been opened in your name. Credit bureau contact information is listed below.

CREDIT BUREAUS

Equifax - www.equifax.com
To order a report, call: 800-685-1111
To report fraud, call: 800-525-6285
TDD 800-255-0056 and write:
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian - www.experian.com
To order a report, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
To report fraud, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TDD 800-972-0322 and write:
P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013

TransUnion - www.transunion.com
To order a report, call: 800-888-4213
To report fraud, call: 800-680-7289
TDD 877-553-7803; fax: 714-447-6034; or write:
Fraud Victim Assistance Department,
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634-6790

Also contact :

Social Security Administration - www.ssa.gov/oig
SSA Fraud Hotline (800) 269-0271

For additional valuable information about identity theft, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html or call the Federal Trade Commission’s toll-free ID Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT.

Also view the video, “Don't Be an On-line Victim: How to Guard Against Internet Thieves and Electronic Scams.”

Despite repeated warnings, the Nigerian Advance Fee Scam continues to trap many victims.

This scam begins with a letter or an e-mail from a Nigerian claiming to be a senior civil servant, ex-government official or bank representative. The letter or e-mail offers a substantial fee if the sender is permitted to deposit millions of dollars of “over invoiced contract funds” into the recipient’s personal banking account. There is usually a sense of urgency and the need for confidentiality is emphasized.

The letter or e-mail’s objective is to convince the recipient that they have been singled out to receive a multi-million dollar windfall. Once they respond, the targeted individual receives numerous documents with official-looking stamps, seals and logos testifying to the authenticity of the proposal.

Once hooked, the target will be encouraged to travel to Nigeria or a border country and asked to bring blank company letterhead forms, bank account information, telephone and fax numbers and eventually, money for attorney fees, transaction fees and bribes.

The U.S. Secret Service reports that other forms of this scam include: C.O.D. for goods and services, real estate ventures, purchase of crude oil at reduced prices, beneficiary of a will, recipient of an award and paper currency conversion.

For more information on this scheme and more like it, visit: http://www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml

The Canadian Lottery is the latest in a number of various lottery and prize scams. You are asked to respond to a notice announcing that you have won a prize drawing – usually from a competition you didn’t even enter.

These notices are usually sent by mail, unsolicited telephone calls, or by e-mail. While usually personalized with your name and address, the same notice is typically sent to thousands of other “winners.”

To receive your prize, promoters ask for an “administration fee” or “processing fee” which must be paid in advance. Often the winner is required to travel to collect their prize. Rarely does the victim receive any winnings in return for their “fees.”

Other scams give you the opportunity to buy tickets in legitimate overseas lotteries. Claiming the prize, however, often requires overseas travel at the recipient’s own expense. Winners rarely receive any winnings.

Buying or selling lottery tickets across national boundaries by phone or mail is illegal.  And because these scams generally operate outside of the U.S., there is very little hope that the victim will recover his money.

Downey Savings devotes considerable resources to protect our customers’ financial and personal information. Unfortunately, in today’s world, harmful software can be attached to your computer’s browser.  This may cause problems for you when you enter our online banking site. And, once attached to your browser, this software can compromise the security of your personal and financial information.
 
To help protect your confidential information, here are some helpful tips for you to follow:

• If you don’t recognize the sender, delete the e-mail without opening it. Never respond to e-mails, open their attachments, or click on its links if submitted from suspicious or unknown senders.


• Be suspicious of any e-mail, phone call, pop-up window or link that asks for your personal information, such as your Social Security number, personal identification number or any other personal information or identification. Downey Savings would never ask you to provide or verify personal information in an e-mail, phone call or pop-up window format.


• Install anti-virus protection software and keep it current by using its automatic update features.


• Use a personal firewall. A personal firewall is a special program that helps protect your computer and its content from outsiders on the Internet or a network. When installed properly, it prevents unauthorized traffic to and from your computer.


• Establish hard-to-decode passwords and change them frequently. Once established, protect your passwords.


• Use the automatic update features in your Operating System to keep it updated with the latest security patches.


• Avoid using automatic login features that save your user name and password.


• Never open any e-mail attachments, web links or files if you do not know the source is completely trustworthy.


• Never respond to telephone solicitors or give them personal information if you are not familiar with the caller.


• Never share your PIN or password.

Please note that Downey Savings does not solicit confidential or sensitive customer information via e-mails or phone calls since they are not secure. Confidential information is only requested in secure environments such as our Online Banking service and our Online Loan applications.

Downey Savings maintains secure Internet communications to help ensure that your transactions with us are conducted in a safe environment. By following the tips above, you can help increase your personal and financial security.

These e-mails look official and give you the illusion that they are being sent by a financial institution, government agency or other legitimate organization. They generally include the official logo for the bank or agency and may reference a potential problem with your account.

Be alert for e-mails in which the sender’s name is generic – like “Customer Service.” Often, the “Subject” is about an “urgent matter” that requires immediate action – such as confirming confidential information to keep your account open, or attempting to verify recent transactions. Other fraudulent e-mails have you answer a harmless-looking survey and then, to send you a thank-you gift for taking the survey, ask for your account information and Social Security number.

These e-mails often include a link to a Web site or an e-mail address where you are asked to enter or confirm confidential information. Often, these links take you to a web site that is spelled very close to the name of a legitimate site. Other fraudulent e-mails may even direct you to a Web page that is protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or https. A secure site does not guarantee its legitimacy.

Please note that Downey Savings does not solicit confidential or sensitive customer information via e-mails since e-mails are not secure.

DO NOT RESPOND to any unsolicited e-mails, pop-ups or links that ask you for personal information. To report a suspicious e-mail that uses Downey Savings’ name, please copy the entire e-mail and paste it into reportfraud@downeysavings.com.

Vishing - is similar to phishing but with a new twist. In a vishing scam, criminals contact the victim by e-mail, telephone or voice mail. But rather than reply via e-mail, the victim is told to call a particular telephone number. Once they call, the victim is instructed to enter his or her account number, debit card number or other confidential information to resolve a pending security issue.

If you receive a telephone call or voicemail message requesting personal information and do not recognize the person calling, do not provide your personal information.

When you need to update personal information, you can respond at one of our branch locations or, you can call us and know you’re talking with a Downey Savings representative.

If you feel your confidential information has been compromised, contact Downey Savings immediately.

For the location or telephone number of the Downey Savings branch nearest you, call 800-9DOWNEY (800-936-9639) or use our Branch Locator.

Spyware - This is software that is installed onto your computer, usually without your knowledge. It records your online activity and allows hackers the ability to see and control your computer. Often spyware includes:

Trojan Horse - A message or software that carries an unwanted destructive payload. For instance, these hidden programs are used by hackers to record your keystrokes to access passwords, account numbers, etc. Typically, a Trojan horse is delivered to your computer via an attachment, through an Internet search or via a link in an e-mail.

Viruses and Worms - Software designed to copy itself into other programs on your computer. Some viruses are not harmful but most are designed to slow your computer or corrupt its memory and files. A worm is a virus that replicates itself until it fills all the storage space on your hard drive or network. Worms can slow down entire servers and disrupt Internet use.

Pop-Up Windows - A small window or ad that appears in the window you’re viewing. Fraudulent pop-ups may ask for personal information that can be used to access your financial or private information. Often, a pop-up will promise a gift or prize in exchange for personal information after completing a survey or questionnaire.

Enhanced Login Security is a new online security feature which gives you added protection from fraud and identity theft.

It’s easy and quick to implement. Plus, it’s free.

This state-of-the-art technology is designed to protect your Downey Savings account(s) from unauthorized use by recognizing both your password and the computer you register with Enhanced Login Security.

If your computer isn’t recognized – for example, you’ve logged in from an Internet Café or from a computer you haven’t used before – we’ll ask you three “Challenge Questions.” The answers to your Challenge Questions are ones you establish during the Enhanced Login Security sign-up process. They should be easy to remember and known only by you.

You will only need to set up your challenge questions once at each computer you use. The entire process only takes a few minutes and the next time you log in from the same computer, it’s business as usual – your online banking experience will remain exactly the same. Yet anyone attempting to access your account with an unauthorized password, or from a computer that’s not recognized, must successfully answer your Challenge Questions before gaining access to your Downey Savings online account(s).

This added layer of security is designed to give you increased protection from online fraud and identity theft. More information will be coming soon to show you how to turn this feature on.

Click here to view a demo.