Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person’s personal information without his or her authorization with the intent to commit fraud or other crimes.

The stolen information may include:

• Demographic information such as your name, Social Security number and phone number, among others
• Credit information

At Popular Bank, we are constantly monitoring your accounts and we maintain controls to prevent identity theft. Even so, external situations may occur in businesses and offices. In those cases, as soon as we become aware of a possible act of fraud or a compromised credit, we send you a new card and contact you through several channels—regular mail and/or a phone call.

Keep documents safe
Store documents with personal information such as your Social Security number, ID cards, birth certificates, passports, and so on in a safe place. If you stop receiving your mail, contact USPS immediately. Someone may have requested to have your mail forwarded to their address.

Don’t share passwords
Do not share your passwords or the access codes to your checking accounts, savings accounts, or credit or debit cards with anyone. Choose passwords that are difficult to guess or copy.

Destroy old cards
Cancel any inactive credit or debit card accounts and shred any cards you’re no longer using along with any letters you receive from the bank that you no longer need to keep. If you request a replacement card and don’t receive it within 10 business days, call us immediately to cancel it.

Only carry what you need
Limit the number of credit cards and other personal information that you carry in your wallet or purse. Keep a copy, front and back, of all your cards and documents so that if anything is ever lost or stolen, you’ll have the information needed to report the loss.

Clean-up old devices
If you’re no longer using a computer or mobile device, delete all personal information stored on the device including your passwords.

Protect your public information
Don’t include identifying personal information such as your birthdate or mailing address on your public social media profiles.

Only use private networks
Connect to the internet using secure connections that require a password. Connecting to public networks leaves your device vulnerable to anyone who may also be connected to the network.

Store your passwords securely
Don’t record your passwords on your computer or mobile device unless you are using a secure password keeper. Passwords that are kept in documents or spreadsheets can be easily stolen by anyone who gains access to your device.

Monitor account activity
Match your credit card and debit card receipts against monthly statements and report unauthorized charges immediately.

Consider contacting a credit reporting agency to request a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze protects against identity theft by making it more difficult for a thief to open a fraudulent account using your non-public personal information. Keep in mind that a security freeze on your credit report will not prevent a thief from making charges to your existing accounts.

If you choose not to request a security freeze on your credit report, consider requesting the credit reporting agency place a fraud alert on your credit reports. A fraud alert on your credit reports alerts users of credit reports, including potential creditors, to contact the consumer to confirm the identity of the person opening the new account or requesting credit.

Check your annual credit reports provided by the credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The accounts or activity presented in credit report that you do not recognize as yours could be an indicator that you are a victim of identity theft. Items to watch for are “new” or “re-opened” accounts and other suspicious activity. For more information about what to do or how can you report a possible id theft, visit https://identitytheft.gov/

Access frequently and closely monitor your existing bank accounts and credit cards to identify and report transactions or charges that you do not recognize.

Visit https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/Steps to learn more about how to protect yourself after a data security breach.