You, or someone you know, could become the victim of a growing crime in America — financial abuse of older Americans.  Seniors are increasingly becoming targets for financial abuse.  As people over 50 years old control over 70 percent of the nation's wealth, fraudsters are using new tactics to take advantage of retiring baby boomers and the growing number of older Americans. Senior financial abuse is estimated to have cost victims at least $2.9 billion last year alone. See more at Protecting the Elderly from Financial Abuse

• Corporate Account Takeover

General Guidelines

• Treat your card like cash. Keep it in a safe place.
• Keep your personal identification number (PIN) a secret. Do not share with family, friends, or even your financial institution.
• Do not disclose card information over the phone, if you receive an unsolicited call.
• Report a lost or stolen card immediately.
• Carefully review your account statement frequently. Utilize Online & Mobile banking for 24/7 access to account activity.

Debit Card Point-Of-Sale (POS) Activity

• Never allow the cashier or anyone else to enter your PIN for you, even if they are assisting you with the transaction.
• Block the view of others when using a POS terminal.
• Be sure the transaction is complete and you have received a receipt before leaving.
• If you received cash back, put it away before leaving the terminal.
• When using an outdoor POS terminal such as at a gas station, observe your surroundings before making a transaction. If anything looks suspicious, leave the area at once.
• It is a good idea to take someone with you when using an outdoor POS terminal at night.
• If anyone follows you after you have completed your POS transaction, go immediately to a crowded, well-lit area and call the police

Debit Card Fraud

• Sign the signature panel on your debit card as soon as you receive it.
• Memorize your PIN. Do not store your PIN (Personal Identification Number) with your card.
• Wait for your card receipt. Don't leave you debit card receipts at the checkout counter.
• Check receipts against your monthly billing or account statements to make sure you can identify all of your transactions. Report any duplicate charges, incorrect amounts charged, or unauthorized transactions immediately. Keep records for disputed transactions. After you have reconciled your billing statements, shred receipts.
• Never leave your purse or wallet unattended and always keep your cards out of plain sight.
• Avoid storing card information when making online purchases.
• Keep a list of account numbers and telephone numbers to call if your cards are lost or stolen.

With sufficient information, a con artist can become "you" and use your identity to order new credit cards, make counterfeit cards or checks, or otherwise go on a spending spree in your name. It's called identity theft or ID theft, and it's a serious problem.

In general, consumers are protected against liability for unauthorized accounts or transactions. However, innocent victims of ID theft sometimes do suffer losses. And if the crime is not detected early, people may face months or years cleaning up the damage to their reputation and credit rating. The evolution of ID theft includes the spread of fraudulent "phishing" (pronounced "fishing") emails. These are unsolicited emails purportedly from a legitimate source, like your bank, attempting to trick you into divulging personal information.

Here is our "to do" list for keeping your identity to yourself:

• Protect your Social Security Number (SSN), credit card and debit card numbers, PINs (personal identification numbers), passwords, and other personal information.
• Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request-whether it is over the phone or over the Internet.
• Protect your incoming and outgoing mail.
• Keep a close watch on your bank account statements and credit card bills.
• Exercise your rights to review your credit report and report fraudulent activity.
• Keep your financial trash "clean"-shed your personal financial information.

Annual Credit Report
Free Credit Report

Pre-approved credit offers can be a danger to your identity. Identity thieves can steal these from your mailbox and attempt to get credit in your name. You can opt out of receiving these offers at
optoutprescreen orby calling 888-567-8688

Your personal financial information can be as good as cash to a criminal. So, take ID theft seriously. Contact your nearest TruBank branch for more help on how to protect yourself.

**As a reminder TruBank does not request information through email or text messages. This type of fraud is what is know as phishing. If you are not sure about an email your have received or a phone call you have received asking you for personal information or to make changes to your account, then please call back the business by looking up a number for the business yourself or by calling the business and speaking to someone your are familiar with at that business before giving out any information.