Helping You Protect Your Identity

Identity theft is a reality. Make sure it isn’t yours.

Help safeguard your privacy and identity.

As a CB&T customer, you rely on us to help you keep your personal information safe. We work hard to provide industry-leading technology and security practices to help you protect your data from unauthorized access. But most identity thieves obtain information through other means, such as by mail, by phone, or over the internet. While no one can be totally safe from identity theft, there are important steps you can take today to reduce your risk. This guide explains what you can do to help safeguard your financial information and some common scams to watch out for. To learn more about how you can help prevent identity theft, please visit calbanktrust.com.

Stop identity thieves in their tracks.

Victims of identity theft often don’t learn of the theft until after the fact. By that time, substantial harm may have been done. Repairing the damage to your financial reputation and credit rating can take years and cost thousands of dollars. Fortunately, there are simple, proactive measures you can take today to help save time, money, and stress down the road.

10 Ways to Help Safeguard Your Identity 1. Secure Financial Information at Home Many unauthorized transactions are crimes of opportunity committed by those with access to your residence. Consider using a locking file cabinet for things like your checkbook, bank statements, credit cards and statements, brokerage and mortgage information, and debit card PIN. Never write your PIN on your card, and avoid using easily guessable numbers such as birthdays or street addresses. 2. Carefully Dispose Shred all papers with confidential information before throwing them away, especially bank and credit card statements and anything with your preprinted name and address, like credit card and mortgage refinance solicitations. 3. Take Precautions with Your Mail Identity thieves may steal checks out of the mail, then alter the payee and amount of the check, or use the account information to generate counterfeit checks. Don’t use your home mailbox to send payments or correspondence with confidential information. Hand your mail directly to your letter carrier, use the post office, or drop the mail in an official post office box. For added security, consider using an online banking service for bill paying. 4. Don’t Carry All Your Financial Resources Limit the number of credit cards you carry in case your purse or wallet is lost or stolen. Immediately report any loss to your credit card provider. Do not keep your Social Security card or number on your person.

5. Pay Attention to Billing and Bank Statements Monitor transactions on your online account and review bank and credit card statements as soon as they arrive. Most banks follow the industry standard of ‘bulk filing’ checks, which means that incoming items are not immediately reviewed for authenticity or alteration, or to verify that the signature on the check is authorized. Immediately dispute any unauthorized charges or transactions. If there is a long series of unauthorized charges, your bank or creditor may disclaim liability if you had received notice of these charges and failed to respond promptly.

6. Scrutinize Requests for Driver’s License or Social Security Numbers

Expect to present ID when writing a check, but know that California merchants cannot record credit card information as ID on a check. Also, merchants are not allowed to record personal information, such as date of birth, on credit card transactions. Never have your SSN or driver’s license number printed on your checks. 7. Know Businesses’ Information-sharing Policies Ask for and review the privacy policies of the companies with which you do business. Opt out of any information-sharing agreement that makes you uncomfortable. 8. Bank Safely Online Take precautions to prevent thieves from accessing your online bank account and initiating unauthorized transactions such as wire transfers. Never share your password or allow others to remotely access your computer. Also, change your password often, avoiding obvious password choices. Always log out of online banking before leaving your computer. NOTE: Exercise extreme caution when someone asks for you to wire funds. They may also ask you to not speak to anyone about the matter and to make up a false reason for the bank.

9. Be Wary of Unsolicited Offers Be suspicious of mail, telephone, or email requests for you to verify personal information, particularly if you did not initiate the contact. These unsolicited inquiries are called “phishing” scams. Identity thieves represent themselves as legitimate entities, such as employees of the FDIC or Visa ® , and rely on you to assume they’re legitimate. Avoid being caught in a phishing scheme: • Do not reply to emails that request personal information and claim your account may be closed or suspended for failure to comply. • When you receive an email from an unknown sender, think carefully before opening it. If the sender seems suspicious, simply delete the message unread. • Respond to telephone requests for information by asking the caller to make their request in writing. If they don’t already have your address, don’t provide it. • Avoid calling phone numbers that appear in emails, since fraudsters may set up phony toll-free numbers. Only call numbers that seem legitimate, such as those printed on bills. 10. Be Vigilant Check your bank account activity frequently and check your credit report at least annually. This will allow you to discover unauthorized activity early on – before substantial damage to your financial reputation can be done.

Knowing how fraud happens helps you make sure it doesn’t. When committing fraud, criminals often try to trick their victim by making threats or promising a big reward. To avoid becoming a victim, make sure you know how these common scams work: Advance-Fee Scam For this fraud, commonly known as a “Nigerian prince scam,” a criminal promises a cut of a large fortune in exchange for assistance in getting a fictitious sum of money out of a foreign country. Such a scam often requires money from the victim, as well as disclosure of bank account information into which the “fortune” will be wired. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. IRS Scam Individuals are contacted by a criminal impersonating an IRS agent, who claims they owe back taxes. The impersonator provides payment instructions and explains that the payment must be made immediately in order to avoid additional fines, assets seizure, and arrest. In the most common scenario, the impersonator pressures the victim into purchasing money cards to send as payment. Online Marketplace Scam When selling merchandise over eBay or other online marketplaces, beware of any purchaser who wants to pay you more than your asking price. A fraudster may offer to pay substantially more and ask you to wire the overpayment elsewhere. When the purchaser’s check is returned as counterfeit, you’ll be left responsible for a large bank overdraft in addition to your stolen property.

Lottery Scam This scam begins when you receive a letter claiming you’ve won a lottery you haven’t even entered. The sender says you must pay ‘administrative fees’ to process your winnings, usually between $3,000 and $5,000. The thieves send a check to “cover” this fee, asking you to deposit the check and wire the funds back. The check is counterfeit, the money is gone, and you’re left with an overdraft to resolve with your bank. Wire Fraud This common fraud often targets professional services companies such as law offices. Here’s one scenario: After making contact over the phone or email, the fraudster sends a bogus cashier’s check, claiming it’s a settlement related to a debt, divorce, or business transaction. The victim is told to keep a portion of the sum as a retainer fee and wire back the rest. Having wired the funds, the victim discovers that the check is counterfeit. To avoid falling for this scam, employees shouldn’t submit any wire transfers before investigating the request and receiving management approval. These organizations provide alerts about new scams. Check their websites periodically to stay informed. • FBI: fbi.gov/scams-safety • U.S. Postal Service: usps.com

• Federal Trade Commission: ftc.gov • Better Business Bureau: bbb.org

What to Do if You Become a Victim of Identity Theft

Contact the bank immediately.

Cancel your credit cards right away and investigate any unfamiliar charges.

File a police report.

Contact the credit reporting agencies below to dispute any unauthorized entries.

EQUIFAX (888) 836-6351 | equifax.com

EXPERIAN (888) 397-3742 | experian.com

TRANSUNION (800) 680-7289 | transunion.com

For more tips on how to help prevent identity theft, and how to proceed if your identity is stolen, contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) , visit ftc.gov , or speak to a representative at your local CB&T branch.

It doesn’t have to end here.

Call, visit our website, or come in and speak to a professional banker today.

(800) 400-6080

calbanktrust.com Come in

A division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. Member FDIC

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