PROTECT YOURSELF
Protecting You
First Citizens Bank is dedicated to protecting the confidential information of each of our customers. While safeguarding our customers’ personal data is our highest priority we are constantly examining our policies, practices and procedures to confirm our clients' personal data is afforded the highest protection possible.
Click here to review our Privacy Statement
Information Request
If you would like someone from First Citizens Bank to contact you about any of your accounts, please click here and fill out the form.
Additional Resources
The following sites also offer information about identity theft:
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Federal Trade Commission
- Social Security Administration
- U. S. Department of Justice
- U. S. Department of the Treasury
- U. S. Postal Inspection Service
Identity Theft
How does identity theft happen?
Identity theft is often portrayed as a "high-tech" crime affecting only those people who do business online, however the majority of identity theft often occurs as simple physical theft. Stealing wallets or laptops, intercepting or rerouting your mail, and rummaging through your garbage are some of the common tactics that thieves use to obtain personal information.
What exactly is identity theft?
Once the thieves have obtained copies of your personal information; such as your name, address, account number, credit card number, they use that information to open new accounts or initiate transactions in your name. They might open new credit cards or bank accounts, forge checks, or even apply for loans.
This can cause financial loss or damage your credit, and possibly lead to a lengthy resolution process.
What can I do if I think I'm a victim?
If you notice suspicious account activity or think you are the victim of identity theft, contact First Citizens Bank immediately at
800-245-9477
There are additional steps you can take if you feel that accounts outside of First Citizens Bank have been compromised.
You should contact the major credit bureaus.
You can request that the three main credit bureaus place a short or long-term “fraud alert” on your credit file. This alert requires creditors to verify your identity before opening any new accounts in your name or changing any existing accounts. You will only need to contact one bureau, which will notify the others.
For more information about the steps to take and for credit reports, contact:
Contact other creditors
Contact your other creditors including credit card and phone companies, banks, and other lenders, to notify them of potential fraud. Always follow up any telephone conversation with a letter.
Close any accounts that have been breached and reopen them with new account numbers and passwords. (NEVER use your social security number as a username or password).
File a report with the local police
Contact your local police department if you suspect that your personal information was stolen. A police report will lend weight to your case when dealing with creditors, who may require proof of criminal activity.
Report the criminal activity to the FTC
Call the Federal Trade Commission hotline at 1-877-ID THEFT (1-877-438-4338) to speak with a trained identity theft counselor. Or submit a complaint to FTC's secure online database at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Your information may be shared with other law enforcement agencies investigating identity theft.
Contact other agencies as appropriate
- Postal Inspection Service at www.usps.com/ or contact your local post office if you believe your mail was stolen or redirected.
- Social Security Fraud Hotline 1-800-269-0271 if you suspect someone is using your Social Security number for fraudulent purposes.
- Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) at www.dmv.org/ if you believe someone is trying to get a driver’s license or identification card using your name and information.
Carefully review all your accounts
Since identity theft takes time to resolve, you should continue to review all charges and transactions appearing on account statements and online. Immediately report any discrepancies.
Even if you think your security has been compromised, it does not automatically mean that you are a victim of identity theft. An incorrect entry or isolated incident of theft from your First Citizens Bank account may have occurred and can be quickly resolved — call First Citizens Bank at 800-594-2079.
Tips to Protect Yourself
- Reconcile your bank and credit card statements monthly. Make sure that there is nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary on your statements.
- Guard your Personal Identification Numbers (PIN)s. Do not keep your PIN with any of your credit or ATM cards.
- Be wary of "phishing" emails that appear to be from a valid company or financial institution requesting confidential information. Legitimate organizations typically do not send unsolicited emails asking for confidential information. Do not reply to these emails or click on links embedded within them.
- Report lost or stolen checks or credit cards immediately.
- Pay bills online or use a locked mailbox to avoid mailbox theft.
- You are less likely to have your personal information stolen online than from your mailbox. Have your new personal checks delivered to your local financial institution.
- Check your credit report at least twice a year.The three major credit-reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) are required to provide you with one free credit report a year. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to obtain yours.
- Do not give out information such as checking account, credit card or Social Security numbers over the phone unless you initiated the call.
- Avoid passwords that are easy to discover like your mother's maiden name or your birth date. Regularly change your passwords. Also, create a username that is unique and difficult for others to guess.
- Shred all documents containing personal information.
- If you think you are a victim of identity theft, take action immediately. Contact the local police, your bank(s), the three major credit reporting agencies and the Federal Trade Commission at (877) IDTHEFT.
- New FDIC tool helps consumers protect themselves against identity theft and suggests steps they can take if you are victimized.
- Don't Be an On-line Victim: How to Guard Against Internet Thieves and Electronic Scams video.
How to Avoid “Phishing” Scams
“Phishing” is an attempt by an internet thief to obtain non-public personal information about you such as your social security number, bank account numbers or credit card numbers, for the purpose of fraudulent access to your accounts, or identity theft. The number and sophistication of phishing scams sent out to consumers is continuing to increase dramatically. While online banking and e-commerce is very safe, as a general rule you should be careful about giving out your personal financial information over the Internet. First Citizens Bank will never email you asking for your personal identifying information.
The Anti-Phishing Working Group has compiled a list of recommendations below that you can use to avoid becoming a victim of these scams. http://www.antiphishing.org
- Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information;
- Unless the email is digitally signed, you can't be sure it wasn't forged or 'spoofed' ;
- Phishers typically include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in their emails to get people to react immediately ;
- Phishers typically ask for information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and/or social security numbers;
- Phisher emails are typically NOT personalized, while valid messages from your bank or e-commerce company generally are personalized;
- Don't use the links in an email to get to any web page,if you suspect the message might not be authentic; instead, call the company on the telephone, or log onto the website directly by typing in the Web address in your browser;
- Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information;
- Only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure website or the telephone;
- Always ensure that you're using a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser;
- Check the beginning of the Web address in your browsers address bar - it should be "https" rather than just "http";
- Consider installing a Web browser tool bar to help protect you from known phishing fraud websites;
- Always use virus scanning software and ensure that it is set to continuously monitor activity on your computer and that you keep the software updated with current virus signatures;
- Regularly log into your online accounts; don't leave it for as long as a month before you check each account;
- Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate;
- If anything is suspicious on any account, contact your bank and all card issuers;
- Ensure that your browser is up to date and security patches applied; and
- People who use the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser should immediately go to the Microsoft Security home page to download a special patch relating to certain phishing schemes http://www.microsoft.com/security/
Always report "phishing" or “spoofed” e-mails to the following groups:
- forward the email to solutionswp@antiphishing.org;
- forward the email to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov;
- forward the email to the "abuse" email address set up at the company that is being spoofed (e.g. spoof@ebay.com);
- when forwarding spoofed messages, always include the entire original email with its original header information intact; and
- notify the Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI by filing a complaint on their website http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx
For more information, check some of the following sources:
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