Hold That Line: Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

Your phone rings. It’s an unfamiliar number, but you only glanced at the caller ID before picking up the call. The voice at the other end says your credit card may have been compromised; they can even provide the last four digits on the card.

It’s a scary situation, and one that’s all too familiar. To figure out the best next steps to take in this situation, we asked the skilled team of fraud detection experts in the BankCard department for some help.

First, take a deep breath. Fraudsters hope you’ll be so overwhelmed by what they are telling you that you’ll inadvertently share the details that allows them to hack your card.

Second, no matter how legitimate the call may seem, it’s important that you don’t give out any personal information on calls you didn’t initiate. Personal information includes the following:

• Your credit or debit card number
• Your bank account or Social Security numbers
• Log in information for any online banking tool used for managing your finances

If you think there’s a possibility that it is First Bank’s BankCard or Customer Service team, you can ask if you can return the call by using the main customer service number located on the back of your debit or credit card or the one on your credit card billing statement.

Third, don’t return calls from numbers left on your answering machine or sent in an email unless you can verify that it is First Bank’s real phone number.

And lastly, it’s always a good idea to make sure First Bank has your current information updated (email and cell phone). That way we can contact you directly if we identify a fraudulent transaction.

Unfortunately, fraudsters constantly revise their schemes. Each time we catch on to one scam, another variation or an entirely new one pops up. No matter what they say, remember to be calm, patient and persistent. And if you are tempted by an agent to provide additional account information, simply hang up and call First Bank directly.