We have developed a robust Information Security Program that includes investing in technology to help ensure that your confidential information is shielded from outside attack, ensuring that all bank records are maintained in secured facilities, and providing regular training to all employees on the Bank’s security policies as well as proper methods to communicate with you, our clients, in a secure and confidential manner.
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Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time and money. It can destroy your credit and ruin your reputation. Below are recommendations from the Federal Trade Commission to help combat the threat of identity theft.
Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time and money. It can destroy your credit and ruin your reputation. Below are recommendations to help combat the threat of identity theft.
If you have questions regarding identity theft, please contact our Client Services Center at 877-770-BANC (2262). Our representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (PST) and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PST).
Banc of California takes the security of your financial information very seriously. We have developed a robust Information Security program that includes investing in technology to help ensure that your confidential information is shielded from outside attack, ensuring that all bank records are maintained in secured facilities and providing regular training to all employees on the Bank’s security policies as well as proper methods to communicate with you, our clients, in a secure and confidential manner.
Over the past several years, as banks have become more secure, criminals have started targeting you, the client, in an attempt to gain access to your funds. Identity theft, check fraud, corporate account takeover and other financial fraud schemes are in the news every day. Each year thousands of people are victimized through the passing of forged checks accompanied by lost, stolen or fictitious identification. To help combat these crimes, we have put together tips you can use to minimize your risk by managing your personal and corporate account information wisely, and by describing some of the more common schemes used to defraud individuals and businesses alike. If you are a business, please share this information with employees that interact with your finances.
Banc of California will never initiate a request for sensitive information from you (i.e. social security number, personal login ID, password, PIN or account number) through an unsolicited e-mail message or phone call.
The Banc of California Social Security Number Policy (1) helps protect the confidentiality of Social Security numbers, (2) prohibits unlawful disclosure of Social Security numbers and (3) limits access to Social Security numbers. Our consumer customers can obtain more information by reviewing the Banc of California Consumer Privacy Notice.
Tips on protecting your Social Security number:
What the bank does to help protect you
Banc of California takes the security of your financial information very seriously. We have developed a robust Information Security program that includes investing in technology to help ensure your confidential information is shielded, as well as ensuring that all bank records are maintained in secured facilities. Our employees are provided with regular training related to the Bank’s security policies as well as proper methods to communicate with you, our clients, in a secure and confidential manner.
Over the past several years, as banks have become more secure, criminals have started targeting you, the client, in an attempt to gain access to your funds. Identity theft, check fraud, debit card fraud and other financial fraud schemes are on the rise and in the news every day as thousands of people are victimized through the passing of forged checks, fraudulent wires and counterfeited debit and credit cards. You can help minimize your risk of becoming a victim of fraud by managing your personal and business account information wisely and understanding the products provided and technology used by Banc of California.
Debit Card Fraud Monitoring
The security of your debit card and personal information is of the utmost importance to us at Banc of California. Through our partner, we continuously review activity on our customers debit cards and monitor spending patterns to help detect out-of-the-ordinary activity.
If a transaction is considered suspicious, a Fraud Specialist will contact you to verify the transaction(s). They may ask for the last 4 numbers of your debit card and will NEVER ask you for your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or the 3-digit number on the back of your card (CVV). The transaction information will be provided to verify if it is legitimate or not. If you confirm the activity as not valid, your card will be blocked immediately to prevent any additional unauthorized transactions. You will then be instructed to contact us directly for further instructions. Based on the activity, if a specialist is not able to reach you, it is possible a temporary block may be placed until you are able to return the call. A message will be left, including a case number, which you are able to reference when you call back.
We have Fraud Specialists available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and may contact you between 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (PST). All contact numbers provided to us will be called in an attempt to reach you.
If you have questions regarding this service or need to update your contact information, please contact our Client Services Center. We are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (PST) and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PST) at 877-770-BANC (2262).
Debit MasterCard™ Chip Card Technology
For your added protection we have rolled out our new Debit MasterCard that features chip card technology. Chip card technology improves global usability and security of your card as merchants in the United States switch to advanced chip card terminals. Chip cards make your debit card harder to counterfeit, and instead of sending all of your credit card information to a merchant when you make a purchase, a unique code is sent that a hacker can’t use.
Enhanced Online Security for Personal and Business Accounts
As an added layer of protection, our Enhanced Online Security feature will prompt you to answer security questions if your account is being accessed from a different type of device or from a different geographical location.
Anti-Skimming Devices
At Banc of California our ATMs are equipped with the latest Anti-Skimming Device technology. Skimming is a technique used by criminals to copy personal data from the magnetic strip on an ATM card. The criminal attaches a skimming device to an ATM and is able to read the card details from the magnetic strip on the card and transmit it to a receiver. ATM card skimming is a constantly increasing and huge problem world-wide.
If you suspect a Banc of California ATM has a skimming device attached to it, please contact our Client Services Center. We are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (PST) and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PST) at 877-770-BANC (2262).
Treasury Management Services
Banc of California offers our Analyzed Business clients several Treasury Management products to help expedite deposits, receive and manage payments, and automate many financial tasks safely and accurately. These products offered to our business clients include:
ATM Fraud
Do not fall prey to ATM skimming scams. Scammers can quickly read a card’s information and use it to access your account fraudulently. With a small device, your card’s information gets stored so that criminals can easily use it at a later time.
Skimmers may be installed on ATM machines, resembling the machine itself. A small device goes over the normal card reading slot and reads your card’s magnetic stripe. Skimmers can also be handheld devices that a dishonest merchant can keep in his or her pocket. When charging your card while you are out at dinner, for example, a scammer can run your card through a skimmer as well.
Equipment being installed on the front of an existing bank card slot.
The equipment as it appears installed over the normal ATM bank slot.
The PIN reading camera being installed on the ATM is housed in an innocent looking leaflet enclosure.
The camera is installed and ready to capture PINs by looking down on the keypad as you enter your PIN.
Organized criminals are installing equipment on legitimate bank ATMs to steal both the ATM card number and the PIN. The equipment used to capture your ATM card number and PIN is cleverly disguised to look like normal ATM equipment. At the same time, a wireless camera is disguised to look like a leaflet holder and is mounted in a position to view ATM PIN entries. The criminals sit nearby in a car receiving the information transmitted wirelessly from the equipment they install (see photos). The thieves copy the cards and use the PIN numbers to withdraw thousands from many accounts in a very short time.
If you see an attachment like this, do not use the ATM and report it immediately to the bank using the phone number on the front of the ATM.
Phishing Scams
Phishing is a new twist on an old telemarketing scam, but uses e-mail. These criminals send e-mails to millions of people hoping that even a few will give away valuable information such as their usernames, passwords or credit card numbers. The criminal then uses this information to steal the victim’s identity. To avoid becoming the victim of a phishing scam, Banc of California offers the following tips:
When internet fraudsters impersonate a business to trick you into giving out your personal information, it is called phishing. Do not reply to the email, text or pop-up messages that ask for your personal or financial information. Do not click on any links within them either – even if the message seems to be from an organization you trust. Legitimate businesses do not ask for sensitive information through insecure channels.
Examples of Phishing Messages
Examples of phishing emails, texts, or pop-ups may have messages such as:
“We suspect an unauthorized transaction has occurred on your account. To help ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.”
“During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn’t verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information.”
“Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to receive your refund.”
When sending these types of messages, the senders are phishing for your information so they can use it to commit fraud.
How to Deal with Phishing Scams
Delete email and text messages that ask you to confirm or provide personal information (credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, etc.).
The messages may appear to be from organizations you do business with – banks, for example. They might threaten to close your account or take other action if you do not respond.
Do not reply or click on links or call phone numbers provided in the message, either. These messages direct you to spoof sites – sites that look real but whose purpose is to steal your information so a scammer can run up bills or commit crimes in your name.
Area codes can mislead, too. Some scammers ask you to call a phone number to update your account or access a “refund.” But a local area code does not guarantee that the caller is local.
If you are concerned about your account or need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card.
Action Steps
You can take steps to avoid a phishing attack:
Tax Scams
Videos: Tax Scams Warning I, Tax Scams Warning II
Tax Refund Scam Artists Posing as Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
A new email scam targeting taxpayers has emerged. According to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), taxpayers are receiving emails that appear to be from TAP about a tax refund. These emails are a phishing scam, where unsolicited emails which seem to come from legitimate organizations — but are really from scammers — try to trick unsuspecting victims into providing personal and financial information. Do not respond or click the links in them. If you receive an email that appears to be from TAP regarding your personal tax information, please forward it to phishing@irs.gov and note that it seems to be a scam email phishing for your information.
TAP is a volunteer board that advises the IRS on systemic issues affecting taxpayers. It never requests and does not have access to, any taxpayer’s personal and financial information such as Social Security and PIN numbers or passwords and similar information for credit cards, banks or other financial institutions.
IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scam
An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.
Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Or victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn’t answered, the scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.
Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, but now the IRS is receiving new reports of scammers calling under the guise of verifying tax return information over the phone.
Scam artists call saying they have your tax return, and they just need to verify a few details to process your return. The scam tries to get you to give up personal information such as a Social Security number or personal financial information, such as bank numbers or credit cards.
E-mail, Phishing and Malware Schemes
The IRS saw an approximate 400 percent surge in phishing and malware incidents in the 2016 tax season.
The emails are designed to trick taxpayers into thinking these are official communications from the IRS or others in the tax industry, including tax software companies. The phishing schemes can ask taxpayers about a wide range of topics. E-mails can seek information related to refunds, filing status, confirming personal information, ordering transcripts and verifying PIN information.
Variations of these scams can be seen via text messages, and the communications are being reported in every section of the country.
When people click on these email links, they are taken to sites designed to imitate an official-looking website, such as IRS.gov. The sites ask for Social Security numbers and other personal information, which could be used to help file false tax returns. The sites also may carry malware, which can infect people’s computers and allow criminals to access your files or track your keystrokes to gain information.
Mortgage Fraud
Mortgage fraud continues to be one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Traditional mortgage fraud includes situations in which consumers, lenders, brokers or real estate agents falsify information to obtain a mortgage. Consumers should never sign mortgage documents that have incomplete or inaccurate information.
If you have any information regarding suspected mortgage fraud, please contact us at 877-770-BANC (2262).
If a transaction is considered suspicious, a Fraud Specialist will contact you to verify the transaction(s). If you are enrolled in our Text Alert Service, you will receive a text message and if you have provided us with your email address, you will receive an email alert.
If a transaction is considered suspicious, a Fraud Specialist will contact you to verify the transaction(s) or if you are enrolled up for our Text Alert Service, you will receive a text message. They may ask for the last 4 numbers of your debit card and will NEVER ask you for your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or the 3-digit number on the back of your card (CVV). The transaction information will be provided to verify if it is legitimate or not. If you confirm the activity as not valid, your card will be blocked immediately to prevent any additional unauthorized transactions. You will then be instructed to contact us directly for further instructions. Based on the activity, if a specialist is not able to reach you, it is possible a temporary block may be placed until you are able to return the call. A message will be left, including a case number, which you are able to reference when you call back. If you receive a text message, you will receive details about the suspected transaction. You will respond to the text to confirm the transaction. If you reply “NO” you did not attempt the transaction, you’ll receive another message with a number to call for follow-up. If you reply “YES”, there is nothing more you need to do. The system will mark the transaction as verified.
We have Fraud Specialists available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and may contact you between 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (PST). All contact numbers provided to us will be called in an attempt to reach you.
If you have questions regarding this service or need to update your contact information, please contact our Client Services Team. We are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. (PST) and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PST) at 877-770-BANC (2262).
Fake Check Scams
Email and Telephone Scams
Malware
Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed by criminals to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. It is a general term used to describe any kind of software or code specifically designed to exploit a computer, or the data it contains, without consent.
Examples of malware include computer viruses, worms, trojan horses and other malicious programs. Malware works to remain unnoticed, either by actively hiding or by simply not making its presence on a system known to the user.
Banc of California offers the following tips to help reduce the potential release of malware into your computer or network:
Social Engineering
Social engineering attacks use human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity. However, by asking questions of several people or over a period of days, they may be able to piece together enough information to infiltrate an organization’s network. These questions may include user identification, passwords, full names, PC numbers or IP numbers. If an attacker is not able to gather enough information from one source, they may contact another source within the same organization and rely on the information from the first source to add to their credibility.
Corporate Account Takeover
Corporate account takeover is the business equivalent of personal identity theft. Hackers, backed by professional criminal organizations, target small and medium sized businesses to obtain access to their online banking credentials or to seize remote control of their computers. These hackers will then drain the deposit and credit lines of the compromised bank accounts, funneling the funds through mules that quickly redirect the monies overseas into hackers’ accounts.
The steps of a typical Corporate Account Takeover include:
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to understand how to take proactive steps to avoid, or at least minimize threats.
Contact your information technology provider to determine the best way to safeguard the security of your computers and networks.
Onguardonline.gov(opens new window)
OnGuardOnline.gov provides tips to help avoid scams, secure your computer and protect kids online. The site also has a blog that is updated with recent fraud trends.
Idtheftinfo.org(opens new window)
IDtheftinfo.org provides the latest news from Consumer Federation of America and other sources. It also provides an ID theft library with educational materials for consumers and businesses, a privacy information website and a victim resources guide.
Consumer Federation of America(opens new window)
The Consumer Federation of America provides information to consumers through research, advocacy and education. CFA also partners with financial institutions to help educate clients through advertising, readings and other publications.
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency(opens new window)
The OCC provides a consumer protection site to help educate consumers about the risks of identity theft and also provides tips on how to guard themselves against it. Topics include online and electronic banking scams, identity theft, phishing scams and safe internet banking.
U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team(opens new window) The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team provides the National Cyber Alert System for technical and non-technical users, vulnerability resources, announcements and current activity updates in the internet provider sector.
Internet Crime Complaint Center(opens new window)
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center. This site provides a place to file claims of victims of identity theft. It also houses sources of internet crime prevention and current schemes.
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