Your bank accounts

• · Frequent monitoring of your bank accounts will help to detect and stop fraud. Research indicates that the risk and size of fraud loss for consumers who frequently monitor their accounts online is lower than those who don't monitor accounts regularly online. Most financial institutions use online banking to provide free 24/7 access to your accounts.
• · Use email alerts in your online banking account to notify you of account activity, such as billpay transactions, balance thresholds, transaction size, and account transfers (both within your bank and between institutions).
• · Monitor and reconcile your check activity by viewing check images online. Many financial institutions offering checking accounts provide you with the ability to view the check images online. Regularly viewing these check images online helps stop check fraud.

What identity thieves want most

Your Social Security number is the key to cloning your identity.

Your bank accounts

Reduce paper transactions

Mail and marketing lists

Trash and shredding of personal information

Your personal and business checks

Your wallet or purse

Credit, debit, and ATM cards

Credit reports and credit files

Shopping and application forms

Web sites and email

Computers and networks

Passwords and PINs