- We'll help you and take action, which may include placing holds and flags on your Bank of the West accounts, closing compromised account(s) and disabling online/mobile banking access
- Review all recent transactions and electronic authorizations on your account. If suspicious active transactions are found, cancel them immediately
- If you operate a sole proprietorship or other business, identify gaps in your internal controls and address them immediately
Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
If you suspect identity theft, call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338 to speak with an identity theft counselor. Or visit, www.ftc.gov.
File a police report
Contact your local law enforcement agency to file a report involving identity theft. Give a copy of the FTC theft complaint to law enforcement when you file a report. Contact your state's Attorney General's office to see if an Identity Theft police report is required.
Contact the credit reporting agencies
If you suspect identity theft, contact the credit reporting agencies immediately and have a Fraud Alert placed on your profile. This 90-day alert provides extra security should anyone try to open an account using your identity.
If you suspect a fraudulent account has been opened using your identity, contact the credit reporting agencies immediately and have a Fraud Alert placed on your profile. Once the dispute has been resolved, the credit reporting agencies will send you another copy of your credit report. Review it to make sure that all fraudulent activity has stopped and your file has been corrected.
For more information, contact:
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 or www.equifax.com
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742 or www.experian.com
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 or www.transunion.com
Contact the company
If you suspect unauthorized charges, contact the company where the charges were made. The procedures for handling unauthorized charges will vary by company. Discuss your options with them, so that you can make an informed decision. Ask the company to send you an official notification of fraud account activity and discharge of the unauthorized transactions/debt in writing. Keep this for your records.
If you suspect fraudulent accounts have been opened using your identity, contact the companies where the accounts were opened. Your credit report profile will have the names of the companies. You will want to have the accounts closed and ensure that they have alerted the appropriate departments, such as their fraud prevention department. The procedures for handling fraud activity will vary by company. If you'e mailing documents to the companies, be sure to keep the originals and send copies. Send your documents by certified mail with return receipt requested.
Ongoing review all your accounts
Continue to review all charges and transactions appearing on your account statements and online account activity. Immediately report any discrepancies to the financial institution.
Check these resources for more information:
- Annual Credit Report: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC): www.ftc.gov
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): www.fdic.gov
- Financial Fraud Enforcement Task: Report Fraud with FTC
Because internet scams are so varied, resolving cases is often a lengthy process. In many cases, there is no satisfaction for the victim and recouping losses can be difficult. Follow these steps to protect yourself.
Review your accounts
If any fraud activity occurs, follow the Identity Theft resolution instructions.
Contact credit reporting agencies
Check your credit report for unauthorized new accounts. If a fraudulent account is opened, follow the Identity Theft resolution instructions and put a fraud alert on your credit profile.
Contact your financial institutions
Contact them to open new accounts, change your PIN, and/or have your credit/debit cards canceled and reissued.
File a compliant
Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) www.ftc.gov and the Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx to file a report.
Contact the company
Contact the website hosting the fraudulent seller, and let them know. They may have policies in place to help you recover your money.
For more information on business identity theft:
Visit the FBI’s cyber investigations website www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber for details on how to protect yourself.
Tell us where you live
Choose your state of legal residence. We can then give you information about the products and services available in your area.
Note: Bank of the West has branches only in the states listed in the drop-down. At this time, we only open accounts for individuals and businesses in these states.