Identity Theft is becoming more and more prevalent in today's society.  At First Missouri State Bank we make the following recommendations to help keep our customers protected:

• Check your credit report annually.  Here's a link to a free website where you can obtain your credit report.  http://www.annualcreditreport.com  Verify that all creditors listed are indeed yours and that everything looks accurate.
• Check your bank statements and credit card statements at a minimum monthly.  Verify that the transactions listed are yours.  If something looks suspicious, question it.  Fraudsters sometimes initially conduct small transactions to see if the victim will notice before they try for larger dollar amounts.   
• Be suspicious of emails and phone calls with urgent requests for personal information (social security number, date of birth, account numbers, PIN, etc...).  If you do not initiate the contact, do not give out  personal information.  First Missouri State Bank will never email you for confidential information. If you receive an email from us that looks suspicious please forward it to us at admin@wherefirstmeansmore.com and delete it from your computer. 
• Deposit outgoing mail at the post office and remove delivered mail immediately.  Switch to electronic statements when you can.  These statements are not sent directly via the Internet, but instead require a username and password to access. 
• Carry only the identification and bank/credit cards you actually need.  Keep a list of the cards in your wallet and the contact information for each one in a safe place.  In the event your wallet is stolen you can quickly cancel them. 
• Shred old receipts, credit card solicitations, expired cards, statements, checks and other documents containing sensitive information.
• Do not open or click on links within an email if you do not know the sender.  Opening malicious links can grant access to your entire computer. 
• Purchase anti-virus software for your computers to scan for viruses and malicious attempts to gain computer access.
• Use strong passwords that aren't easy to guess.  A good password should contain letters, numbers and special characters.  Do not use the same password for all accounts. 
• Do not log into banking or financial accounts when using a public Wi-Fi signal.  Hackers could gain access to your log-in credentials.
• Subscribe to an Identity Theft service that monitors and notifies you of activity on your credit report.  At First Missouri State Bank, we've partnered with Deluxe Provent to offer these services to our customers.  Click here to learn more about the product and sign up. 

Identity Theft Recovery
In the event that you become a victim of Identity Theft, we recommend that you take the following steps to help restore your identity and minimize the financial impact:

• Contact us immediately at (573) 334-9000.  We will place a hold on your accounts and help you determine the best course of action to protect your accounts. 
• Place an alert on your credit report.  New credit will not be extended unless you authorize it. The initial alert lasts for 90 days and is free.  https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an Identity Theft site to serve as a one-stop resource for Identity Theft victims.  The site outlines the steps victims should take to limit the damage once personal information has been stolen and provides checklists to assist through the recovery process.  https://www.identitytheft.gov/