Lake Community Bank

Lake Community Bank is committed to providing our customers the maximum identity theft protection possible.

Our goal is to assure proper protection of our customers and their personal information, to comply with the letter and spirit of financial regulations and laws, and to preserve Lake Community Bank’s reputation as a trusted financial partner for our community.

Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft
Manage Your Mail

Do not leave bill payment envelopes clipped to your mailbox or inside with the flag up; criminals may steal your mail and change your address.
Know your billing cycles, and watch for any missing mail. Follow up with creditors if bills or new cards do not arrive on time. An identity thief may have filed a change of address request in your name with the creditor or the post office.
Carefully review your monthly accounts, credit card statements and utility bills (including cellular telephone bills) for unauthorized charges as soon as you receive them. If you suspect unauthorized use, contact the provider’s customer service and fraud departments immediately.
When you order new checks, ask when you can expect delivery. If your mailbox is not secure, then ask to pick up the checks instead of having them delivered to your home.
Reduce the amount of mail you receive by calling the national credit bureaus’ Opt-Out Line at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-5-678-688) or use their web site www.optoutprescreen.com. This action will reduce the number of pre-approved credit offers you receive.
Cross-shred all mail and any other information containing personal identification and account numbers (especially “pre-approved credit” offers).
Thieves use change of address cards to divert mail to another location. Get to know your mail carrier

Manage Your Phone Calls

Reduce the amount of solicitation phone calls you receive by signing up your home and cell phone numbers for the National Do-Not-Call List at 1-888-382-1222 or at their web site at www.donotcall.gov.
The Direct Marketing Association offers services to help reduce the number of mail and telephone solicitations. To join their mail preference service, mail your name, home address and signature to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P. O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.

Manage Your E-Mail and Internet Use

Do not respond to any e-mail that purports to be from an agency needing your information (IRS, FBI, credit card company, E-Bay, bank look-alike, etc.). Look-alike sites may tell you that your information has been compromised and they need more or updated information.
Never open e-mail from unknown sources. Use virus detection software.
Personal networking web sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) are fun, but be aware of the personal information that you are revealing and how this might lead to personal safety issues or identity theft.

Manage Charity Donations and Solicitations

Never give to a charity without making sure it is legitimate. Check it out through the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance at www.give.org or the IRS web site at www.irs.gov.
Beware of door-to-door solicitations. Never give information or money at the door without researching the solicitor and the company they represent.

Check Your Purse or Wallet

Never leave your purse or wallet unattended – even for a minute.
Protect your PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) and passwords (don’t carry them in your wallet!). Use a 10-digit combination of letters and numbers for your passwords, and change them periodically.
Carry only personal identification and credit cards you actually need in your purse or wallet. If your I.D. or credit cards are lost or stolen, notify the creditors immediately, and ask the credit bureaus to place a “fraud alert” in your file.
Do not carry your Social Security number with you unless you are going to need it that day.
Encourage businesses to request a photo ID with credit card use.

Keep Your Personal Numbers Safe and Secure

Keep a list of all your credit cards and bank accounts along with their account numbers, expiration dates and credit limits, as well as the telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments. Store this list in a safe place.
When creating passwords and PINs, do not use any part of your Social Security number, birth date, middle name, wife’s name, child’s name, pet’s name, mother’s maiden name, address, consecutive numbers, or anything that a thief could easily deduce or discover.
Ask businesses to substitute a secret alpha-numeric code as a password instead of your mother’s maiden name.
Memorize your passwords and PINs; never keep them in your wallet, purse, Rolodex or electronic organizer.
Shield the keypad when using ATMs or when placing calling card calls.
Get your Social Security number out of circulation and release it only when necessary (for example, on tax forms and employment records, or for banking, stock and property transactions).
If anyone you do business with uses your Social Security number as your password or account number, ask them to substitute another number.
Do not have your Social Security number printed on your checks, and do not allow merchants to write your Social Security number on your checks.
Never give your Social Security number, account numbers or personal credit information to anyone who calls you or e-mails you.

Bank, Shop and Spend Wisely

Store personal information in a safe place and shred or tear up documents you don’t need.
Destroy charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements, ATM receipts, expired charge cards and credit offers you get in the mail before you put them out in the trash.
Tear up unused pre-approved credit card offers and convenience checks before throwing them away.
When you fill out a loan or credit application, be sure that the business either shreds these applications or stores them in locked files.
Sign your credit cards immediately upon receipt.
When possible, watch your credit card as the merchant completes the transaction.
Cancel your unused credit cards so that their account numbers will not appear on your credit report.
Carefully consider what information you want placed in the residence telephone book and ask yourself what it reveals about you.
Ask businesses what their privacy policies are and how they will use your information: Can you choose to keep it confidential? Do they restrict access to data?
Choose to do business with companies you know are reputable, particularly online.
When conducting business online, use a secure browser that encrypts or scrambles purchase information and make sure your browser’s padlock or key icon is active.
Be aware that there have been frequent reports of fraudulent cashiers checks or money orders (particularly in response to items sold on the Internet). Before accepting these payments, ask for help from your Lake Community Banker to determine whether these are counterfeit.
If your mailbox is in a vulnerable location, have your check order sent to the bank and pick them up.
Report Internet fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.com.

Review Your Information

Check your credit report via www.AnnualCreditReport.com (be aware that other credit report sites charge a fee). If you do not have access to the Internet, call 1-877-322-8228. We recommend making three separate requests during the year (one request per year from each credit reporting agency is free) so there is more opportunity to monitor activity on your report.

Equifax - www.equifax.com
To report fraud, call: 1-888-766-0008
TDD 1-800-255-0056 and write:
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian - www.experian.com
To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TDD 1-800-972-0322 and write:
P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013

TransUnion - www.transunion.com
To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289
TDD 10877-553-7803; fax: 714-447-6034; email: fvad@transunion.com or write: Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634-6790

Make sure all the information on credit reports is correct, especially your name, address, and Social Security number. Look for indications of fraud, such as unauthorized applications, unfamiliar credit accounts, credit inquiries and defaults and delinquencies that you did not cause.
Check your credit report BEFORE making a big purchase like a house or car so you can clear up any problems before applying for credit. To report fraud contact one of the big three credit reporting agencies (as listed above) and a fraud alert will be forwarded to the other agencies.

Consider putting a security freeze on your credit report if you do not anticipate applying for credit in the near future, or at all. Notify all three credit reporting agencies in writing; the first freeze is free, and subsequent removal or freeze installed again will require a $10 fee.
Check your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once each year to make sure that no one else is using your Social Security number for employment. Check your earnings and benefits statements at 1-800-772-1213.

Steps to Take if You are a Victim of ID Theft
If you suspect misuse of your personal information to commit fraud, take action immediately. Keep a record of all conversations and correspondence when you take the following suggested steps:

Contact your bank(s) & credit card issuers immediately so that the following can be done: access to your accounts can be protected; stop payments on missing checks; personal identification numbers (PINs) and online banking passwords changed; and a new account opened, if appropriate.

Be sure to indicate to the bank or card issuer all of the accounts and/or cards potentially impacted including ATM cards, check (debit) cards and credit cards. Customer service or fraud prevention telephone numbers can generally be found on your monthly statements.
Contact the major check verification companies to request they notify retailers using their databases not to accept these stolen checks, or ask your bank to notify the check verification service with which it does business. Three of the check verification companies that accept reports of check fraud directly from consumers are: Telecheck (800) 710-9898, International Check Services (800) 631-9656 and Equifax (800) 437-5120.

File a police report with your local police department and/or with the law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction where the crime was committed. Obtain a police report number with the date, time, police department, location and police officer taking the report. The police report may initiate an investigation into the loss with the goal of identifying, arresting and prosecuting the offender and possibly recovering your lost items. The police report will be helpful when clarifying to creditors that you are a victim of identity theft.
Report the identity theft immediately to one of the credit reporting agencies and ask them to place a fraud alert on your account. If you call one agency, they will forward the fraud alert to the others.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report. Review your reports to make sure additional fraudulent accounts have not been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts.

Check the section of your report that lists “inquiries.” Request the “inquiries” be removed from your report from the companies that opened the fraudulent accounts.
In a few months, order new copies of your reports to verify your corrections and changes to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
Request a “fraud alert” for your file and a victim’s statement asking creditors to call you before opening new accounts or changing your existing ones. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name.
Here are the major credit bureaus and their phone numbers: Trans Union (800) 680-7289, Experian (888) 397-3742 and Equifax (800) 525-6285.

Fill out the ID Theft Affidavit online at the FTC web site and send it to each credit reporting agency and to any affected creditors immediately:
www.ftc.gov. You may also contact the FTC’s ID Theft Consumer Response Center toll-free at (877) IDTHEFT.
Check your mailbox. Make sure no one has requested an unauthorized address change, title change, PIN change or ordered new cards or checks to be sent to another address. If a thief has stolen your mail to get credit cards, bank and credit card statements, pre-screened credit offers or tax information, or if an identity thief has falsified change-of-address forms, that’s a crime. Contact your local post office and police.
Call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or visit their website at www.socialsecurity.gov if you believe your Social Security information has been compromised.
Maintain a written chronology of what happened, what was lost and the steps you took to report the incident to the various agencies, banks and firms impacted. Be sure to record the date, time, contact telephone numbers, person you talked to and any relevant report or reference number and instructions.
For additional information and assistance, log onto the Federal Trade Commission website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or call the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office at (800) 657-3787.

If you have additional questions, please stop in any Lake Community Bank branch or give us a call at (952) 473-7347 or Toll Free at (888) 311-3880.

ACTIVITY LOG & ID THEFT FORMS

The following forms are available to assist you in the reporting of identity theft:

Activity Log Form

Theft Notification Form

PLEASE NOTE: This application requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print

		Alternative text for browsers that do not understand IFrames.


	Lake Community Bank is committed to providing our customers the maximum identity theft protection possible. Our goal is to assure proper protection of our customers and their personal information, to comply with the letter and spirit of financial regulations and laws, and to preserve Lake Community Bank’s reputation as a trusted financial partner for our community. Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft Manage Your Mail Do not leave bill payment envelopes clipped to your mailbox or inside with the flag up; criminals may steal your mail and change your address. Know your billing cycles, and watch for any missing mail. Follow up with creditors if bills or new cards do not arrive on time. An identity thief may have filed a change of address request in your name with the creditor or the post office. Carefully review your monthly accounts, credit card statements and utility bills (including cellular telephone bills) for unauthorized charges as soon as you receive them. If you suspect unauthorized use, contact the provider’s customer service and fraud departments immediately. When you order new checks, ask when you can expect delivery. If your mailbox is not secure, then ask to pick up the checks instead of having them delivered to your home. Reduce the amount of mail you receive by calling the national credit bureaus’ Opt-Out Line at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-5-678-688) or use their web site www.optoutprescreen.com. This action will reduce the number of pre-approved credit offers you receive. Cross-shred all mail and any other information containing personal identification and account numbers (especially “pre-approved credit” offers). Thieves use change of address cards to divert mail to another location. Get to know your mail carrier Manage Your Phone Calls Reduce the amount of solicitation phone calls you receive by signing up your home and cell phone numbers for the National Do-Not-Call List at 1-888-382-1222 or at their web site at www.donotcall.gov. The Direct Marketing Association offers services to help reduce the number of mail and telephone solicitations. To join their mail preference service, mail your name, home address and signature to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P. O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008. Manage Your E-Mail and Internet Use Do not respond to any e-mail that purports to be from an agency needing your information (IRS, FBI, credit card company, E-Bay, bank look-alike, etc.). Look-alike sites may tell you that your information has been compromised and they need more or updated information. Never open e-mail from unknown sources. Use virus detection software. Personal networking web sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) are fun, but be aware of the personal information that you are revealing and how this might lead to personal safety issues or identity theft. Manage Charity Donations and Solicitations Never give to a charity without making sure it is legitimate. Check it out through the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance at www.give.org or the IRS web site at www.irs.gov. Beware of door-to-door solicitations. Never give information or money at the door without researching the solicitor and the company they represent. Check Your Purse or Wallet Never leave your purse or wallet unattended – even for a minute. Protect your PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) and passwords (don’t carry them in your wallet!). Use a 10-digit combination of letters and numbers for your passwords, and change them periodically. Carry only personal identification and credit cards you actually need in your purse or wallet. If your I.D. or credit cards are lost or stolen, notify the creditors immediately, and ask the credit bureaus to place a “fraud alert” in your file. Do not carry your Social Security number with you unless you are going to need it that day. Encourage businesses to request a photo ID with credit card use. Keep Your Personal Numbers Safe and Secure Keep a list of all your credit cards and bank accounts along with their account numbers, expiration dates and credit limits, as well as the telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments. Store this list in a safe place. When creating passwords and PINs, do not use any part of your Social Security number, birth date, middle name, wife’s name, child’s name, pet’s name, mother’s maiden name, address, consecutive numbers, or anything that a thief could easily deduce or discover. Ask businesses to substitute a secret alpha-numeric code as a password instead of your mother’s maiden name. Memorize your passwords and PINs; never keep them in your wallet, purse, Rolodex or electronic organizer. Shield the keypad when using ATMs or when placing calling card calls. Get your Social Security number out of circulation and release it only when necessary (for example, on tax forms and employment records, or for banking, stock and property transactions). If anyone you do business with uses your Social Security number as your password or account number, ask them to substitute another number. Do not have your Social Security number printed on your checks, and do not allow merchants to write your Social Security number on your checks. Never give your Social Security number, account numbers or personal credit information to anyone who calls you or e-mails you. Bank, Shop and Spend Wisely Store personal information in a safe place and shred or tear up documents you don’t need. Destroy charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements, ATM receipts, expired charge cards and credit offers you get in the mail before you put them out in the trash. Tear up unused pre-approved credit card offers and convenience checks before throwing them away. When you fill out a loan or credit application, be sure that the business either shreds these applications or stores them in locked files. Sign your credit cards immediately upon receipt. When possible, watch your credit card as the merchant completes the transaction. Cancel your unused credit cards so that their account numbers will not appear on your credit report. Carefully consider what information you want placed in the residence telephone book and ask yourself what it reveals about you. Ask businesses what their privacy policies are and how they will use your information: Can you choose to keep it confidential? Do they restrict access to data? Choose to do business with companies you know are reputable, particularly online. When conducting business online, use a secure browser that encrypts or scrambles purchase information and make sure your browser’s padlock or key icon is active. Be aware that there have been frequent reports of fraudulent cashiers checks or money orders (particularly in response to items sold on the Internet). Before accepting these payments, ask for help from your Lake Community Banker to determine whether these are counterfeit. If your mailbox is in a vulnerable location, have your check order sent to the bank and pick them up. Report Internet fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.com. Review Your Information Check your credit report via www.AnnualCreditReport.com (be aware that other credit report sites charge a fee). If you do not have access to the Internet, call 1-877-322-8228. We recommend making three separate requests during the year (one request per year from each credit reporting agency is free) so there is more opportunity to monitor activity on your report. Equifax - www.equifax.com To report fraud, call: 1-888-766-0008 TDD 1-800-255-0056 and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 Experian - www.experian.com To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) TDD 1-800-972-0322 and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013 TransUnion - www.transunion.com To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289 TDD 10877-553-7803; fax: 714-447-6034; email: fvad@transunion.com or write: Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634-6790 Make sure all the information on credit reports is correct, especially your name, address, and Social Security number. Look for indications of fraud, such as unauthorized applications, unfamiliar credit accounts, credit inquiries and defaults and delinquencies that you did not cause. Check your credit report BEFORE making a big purchase like a house or car so you can clear up any problems before applying for credit. To report fraud contact one of the big three credit reporting agencies (as listed above) and a fraud alert will be forwarded to the other agencies. Consider putting a security freeze on your credit report if you do not anticipate applying for credit in the near future, or at all. Notify all three credit reporting agencies in writing; the first freeze is free, and subsequent removal or freeze installed again will require a $10 fee. Check your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once each year to make sure that no one else is using your Social Security number for employment. Check your earnings and benefits statements at 1-800-772-1213. Steps to Take if You are a Victim of ID Theft If you suspect misuse of your personal information to commit fraud, take action immediately. Keep a record of all conversations and correspondence when you take the following suggested steps: Contact your bank(s) & credit card issuers immediately so that the following can be done: access to your accounts can be protected; stop payments on missing checks; personal identification numbers (PINs) and online banking passwords changed; and a new account opened, if appropriate. Be sure to indicate to the bank or card issuer all of the accounts and/or cards potentially impacted including ATM cards, check (debit) cards and credit cards. Customer service or fraud prevention telephone numbers can generally be found on your monthly statements. Contact the major check verification companies to request they notify retailers using their databases not to accept these stolen checks, or ask your bank to notify the check verification service with which it does business. Three of the check verification companies that accept reports of check fraud directly from consumers are: Telecheck (800) 710-9898, International Check Services (800) 631-9656 and Equifax (800) 437-5120. File a police report with your local police department and/or with the law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction where the crime was committed. Obtain a police report number with the date, time, police department, location and police officer taking the report. The police report may initiate an investigation into the loss with the goal of identifying, arresting and prosecuting the offender and possibly recovering your lost items. The police report will be helpful when clarifying to creditors that you are a victim of identity theft. Report the identity theft immediately to one of the credit reporting agencies and ask them to place a fraud alert on your account. If you call one agency, they will forward the fraud alert to the others. Contact the three major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report. Review your reports to make sure additional fraudulent accounts have not been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts. Check the section of your report that lists “inquiries.” Request the “inquiries” be removed from your report from the companies that opened the fraudulent accounts. In a few months, order new copies of your reports to verify your corrections and changes to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred. Request a “fraud alert” for your file and a victim’s statement asking creditors to call you before opening new accounts or changing your existing ones. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name. Here are the major credit bureaus and their phone numbers: Trans Union (800) 680-7289, Experian (888) 397-3742 and Equifax (800) 525-6285. Fill out the ID Theft Affidavit online at the FTC web site and send it to each credit reporting agency and to any affected creditors immediately: www.ftc.gov. You may also contact the FTC’s ID Theft Consumer Response Center toll-free at (877) IDTHEFT. Check your mailbox. Make sure no one has requested an unauthorized address change, title change, PIN change or ordered new cards or checks to be sent to another address. If a thief has stolen your mail to get credit cards, bank and credit card statements, pre-screened credit offers or tax information, or if an identity thief has falsified change-of-address forms, that’s a crime. Contact your local post office and police. Call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or visit their website at www.socialsecurity.gov if you believe your Social Security information has been compromised. Maintain a written chronology of what happened, what was lost and the steps you took to report the incident to the various agencies, banks and firms impacted. Be sure to record the date, time, contact telephone numbers, person you talked to and any relevant report or reference number and instructions. For additional information and assistance, log onto the Federal Trade Commission website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or call the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office at (800) 657-3787. If you have additional questions, please stop in any Lake Community Bank branch or give us a call at (952) 473-7347 or Toll Free at (888) 311-3880. ACTIVITY LOG & ID THEFT FORMS The following forms are available to assist you in the reporting of identity theft: Activity Log Form Theft Notification Form PLEASE NOTE: This application requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print




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