What Provident Does To Protect Your Information|What You Can Do To Protect Yourself

What Provident Does To Protect Your Information

• Requires that each user have a unique ID, password and other information to access any online account information
• Only displays the last four digits of your account numbers (to prevent someone else from seeing your account numbers)
• Is set to log off automatically should your session be inactive for too long (in case you walk away from your PC during a session)

What You Can Do To Protect Yourself: What is Identity Theft? | How can I keep my identity safe? | What you should do if you think your identity has been stolen |What is phishing and how can I protect myself against it? | Other tips to help protect yourself against online fraud | How to Report Online Fraud | How Criminals Obtain Your e-mail Address | What is "spyware?" | What is "keylogging?" | Online Privacy Policy

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is the unlawful use of another person’s identification, and may take many forms. Common methods of identity theft include credit card or other financial institution fraud, phone or utility services theft, and the taking of government documents or benefits.

Unfortunately, every day thieves are finding new ways of using the identities of their victims. Identity thieves typically get this information from:

• Stolen wallets and purses
• Stolen mail
• Unauthorized access to computers
• Telemarketing scams
• Sharing of passwords
• Fraudulent e-mails
• Dumpster diving (searching through your trash can) |Back to top|

How can I keep my identity safe?

Provident Bank will keep you up-to-date on how you can best protect your identity. Read tips below to learn more.

• Check your credit reports and scores on a regular basis.
• Enroll in Provident’s Privacy Matters to help safeguard your identity and manage your credit.
• Shred any documents and mail that contain your Social Security Number (SSN), account numbers and other personal information.
• Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse. Memorize your SSN.
• Check financial statements and bills as soon as they arrive. Report any unauthorized transactions to the companies immediately.
• Lock your mailbox. Deposit outgoing mail containing checks in a postal box—don’t leave it sitting in your unlocked mailbox or apartment lobby.
• At home, secure sensitive information like bank and credit card statements, insurance records, etc., where they can’t be seen by visitors or workers.
• At teller machines (ATMs), shield the PIN keypad while entering credit and debit card passwords.
• Try to keep an eye on your credit card when you give it to a merchant or waiter.
• When you order new checks, look out for them. Make sure they are delivered to a locked mailbox.
• Change your passwords regularly and do not share them with anyone.
• Never respond to requests by phone or e-mail for personal information, no matter how urgent the request seems. Find the number of the company online or in the phone directory and call to ask if the request is legitimate.
• Don’t provide sensitive personal information when talking on a cell phone.
• Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you’ve initiated the call or you are absolutely sure you know the company or person you’re dealing with.
• Read your bank’s privacy notice so that you understand how it uses your information for marketing.  If you don’t want to get preapproved credit offers, call 888-5OPT-OUT (567-8688) to stop them.
• Be careful about giving away information about yourself. Question why a business needs your SSN, mother’s maiden name or other information.
• Monitor your mail for missed bills, credit card statements and other mail that you expected. A missing bill might mean that a thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address.
• Investigate mysterious purchases, charges, bills or collection calls immediately. If you receive a credit card you didn’t apply for, find a strange charge on your credit card or get calls or letters from debt collectors about bills you don’t recognize, call the companies immediately to address the problem.
• Question credit offers. If you know you have good credit but your application for a new credit card is denied, it could signal identity theft. When you are denied credit, you can get a free copy of your credit report from the credit bureau used by the lender. |Back to top|

Identity theft has been called a "shadow crime" because victims can be unaware that their identities have been stolen. If you think you are a victim of identity theft, take the following steps immediately:

• Contact any one of the three major credit reporting agencies at:
  Equifax: 800-525-6285; http://www.equifax.com/;
  Experian: 888-397-3742; http://www.experian.com/, or
  TransUnion: 800-680-7289; http://www.transunion.com/

As of April 2003, if you notify one credit bureau that you are a victim of identity theft, it will notify the other two. Report that your identifying information is being used by another person to obtain credit fraudulently in your name. Ask that your file be flagged with a fraud alert. Add a victim's statement to your report. ("My ID has been used to apply for credit fraudulently. Contact me at [your phone number] to verify all applications.")

Each credit bureau will mail you a credit report once you have called them to flag your file with a fraud alert. Fraud alerts are usually placed for 90-180 days. You will want to extend the time period to seven years. Do so in writing following the directions sent in the credit report that you receive. You may cancel fraud alerts at any time. In all communications with the credit bureaus, you will want to refer to the unique number assigned to your credit report and use certified, return receipt mail. Be sure to save all credit reports as part of your fraud documentation. Ask the credit bureaus for names and phone numbers of credit grantors with whom fraudulent accounts have been opened if this information is not included on the credit report.

Ask the credit bureaus, in writing, to remove inquiries that have been generated due to the fraudulent access. You may also ask the credit bureaus to notify those who have received your credit report in the last six months in order to alert them to the disputed and erroneous information (two years for employers). Be aware that these measures will not entirely stop new fraudulent accounts from being opened by the identity thief. Credit issuers are not required by law to observe fraud alerts.

• Contact your financial institutions and credit card companies to close all accounts that have been compromised or opened fraudulently, and open new ones. If your existing credit accounts have been used fraudulently, get replacement cards with new account numbers. Ask that old accounts be processed as "account closed at consumer's request." Monitor your mail and bills for evidence of new fraudulent activity. Report it immediately to creditor grantors. Add passwords to all accounts. This should not be your mother's maiden name or a word that is easily guessed.
• Contact all creditors immediately with whom your name has been used fraudulently, by phone and in writing. You will see evidence of these accounts on your credit reports. Creditors will likely ask you to fill out fraud affidavits. The Federal Trade Commission provides a uniform affidavit form that most creditors accept. (www.consumer.gov/idtheft/affidavit.htm). You may choose to substitute witness signatures for notarization if creditors require verification of your signature. Ask the credit grantors to furnish you and your investigating law enforcement agency copies of the documentation, such as the application and transaction records, showing the fraudulent transactions.
• If debt collectors attempt to require you to pay the unpaid bills on fraudulent credit accounts, ask for the name of the company, the name of the person contacting you, phone number, and address. Tell the collector that you are a victim of fraud and are not responsible for the account. Ask the collector for the name and contact information for the referring credit issuer, the amount of the debt, account number, and dates of the charges. Ask if they need you to complete their fraud affidavit form or if you can use the Federal Trade Commission form. Follow up in writing to the debt collector explaining your situation. Ask that they confirm in writing that you do not owe the debt and that the account has been closed.
• Contact your local police or sheriff's department. You might also need to report it to police departments where the crime occurred. Give them as much documented evidence as possible. Make sure the police report lists the fraud accounts, and get a copy of the report. Keep the phone number of your investigator handy and give it to creditors and others who require verification of your case. Credit card companies and banks may require you to show the report in order to verify the crime
• In dealing with the authorities and financial institutions, keep a log of all conversations, including dates, names, and phone numbers. Note time spent and expenses incurred in case you are able to seek restitution in a later judgment or conviction against the thief. If you itemize tax deductions for theft-related expenses, consult your accountant. Confirm conversations in writing. Send correspondence by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep copies of all letters and documents.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Filing a complaint with the FTC will aide law enforcement with information necessary to track down identity thieves and stop them. You can file a complaint at www.consumer.gov/idtheft |Back to top|

Phishing is a type of online or e-mail fraud. Many companies and consumers have become targets of "phishing." Here’s how it works:

• A criminal may send you an e-mail that looks like it has come from Provident Bank.
• The phony e-mail asks you to go to a web site that looks like the Provident Bank web site. Even the images and logos may look legitimate.
• When you get to the site, you are asked to provide your personal account information. Tip: Sometimes, the phony e-mails and pop-up Web sites may include misspelled words and incorrect word usage.
• Some of these phony e-mails even caution that if you don't do this, your account may be suspended.
• This is an attempt on the part of the criminal to get your personal information, such as your account number, PIN, Social Security Number, credit card number, or mother’s maiden name, etc. in order to use that information fraudulently.

Please remember that Provident Bank will never send you an e-mail asking you to provide, update or verify your personal or account information, such as passwords, Social Security Numbers, PINs, credit or debit card numbers, or other confidential information.

If you receive an e-mail that appears to be from Provident and it asks you to provide, update or verify personal or account information, do not respond or click on any of the links provided in the message. These e-mails are not authorized by Provident and may be fraudulent. Please forward information about any such e-mails to feedback@provbank.com. |Back to top|

There are many things you can do to help protect yourself.

• Carefully examine e-mails for the telltale phishing signs described above.
  
• In the event that you do open a suspicious e-mail, do not click on any links. By clicking on the links you could unknowingly download a virus or spyware to your computer. Even if you feel certain that the e-mail is legitimate, type the web addresses into your browser instead of clicking on any links.
  
• Change your passwords every 30 to 60 days. Stay away from those obvious passwords like your date of birth, spouse’s name, children’s names or sensitive information such as your mother's maiden name or your Social Security Number.
  
• Keep your anti-virus and anti-spam software updated. |Back to top|

To report a suspicious e-mail that appears to be from Provident Bank, please forward the message to feedback@provbank.com or cut and paste the e-mail into our Contact Us e-mail form.

If you believe you have provided personal or account information in response to a fraudulent email or Web site, contact Provident’s Customer Service right away:

Phone: 1-800-962-9644 or 410-281-7111 (Baltimore Metro Area). 
Monday-Friday, 8 am - 7 pm,
Saturday, 8:30 am - 5 pm, and
Sunday, 10 am - 4 pm. |Back to top|

Many criminals randomly generate e-mail addresses — that's why you may have received fraudulent e-mail that appear to be from banks you do not have an account with. They also purchase mailing lists, obtain e-mail addresses online from Web pages, chat rooms, online auctions and directories or from illegitimate sources.

Provident will never trade, rent or sell your personal information — including your e-mail address — to anyone, except in accordance with the terms of our privacy policy. Click here for more information on our privacy policy. |Back to top|

Spyware refers to a broad category of malicious software designed to take partial control of your computer's operation without your informed consent. While the definition of spyware suggests software that monitors the user, it has come to refer more broadly to software that controls the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party. Some typical spyware tactics are: unsolicited pop-up advertisements, theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers), monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes, or routing of browser searches to advertising sites. One of the most common ways to identify a spyware invasion is a noticeable slowing of your computer's performance.

Spyware can be avoided, but it is important to remain well-educated and vigilant against any new threats. The most important thing to remember is that your computer should be equipped with anti-virus/anti-spyware software. This software should always be updated and should be configured to run regular tests on your system. Most of the leading anti-virus software providers also offer anti-spyware solutions and updates. If you are not sure if your anti-virus software is also sufficiently protecting your computer against all of the latest spyware threats, you should contact your anti-virus software's manufacturer. |Back to top|

A new type of cyber threat, known as "keylogging", is a malicious software program that infects the user's computer and copies the keystrokes of an online banking customer.  These programs, which are often hidden inside routine software downloads, e-mail attachments or files shared over person-to-person network, enable intruders to steal passwords and other personal information from the user.

Once the keylogger is installed, it sits dormant in the computer until the user visits certain websites - such as an online banking or credit card site.  Then, the program copies information and sends it to a third party.

The most effective way to protect yourself from the invasion of a keylogging program is to only open attachments and download software or files from known and trusted sources.  And as with other cyber threats, you should always make sure that your current anti-virus/anti-spyware software is updated and configured to run regular tests on your system.  If you are not sure if your anti-virus software is sufficiently protecting your computer from keylogging programs, you should contact the software manufacturer. |Back to top|