PROTECTING YOUR MONEY

Tri-parish area banks are urging customers to become more aware of bank fraud and identity theft and ways to avert criminal attacks on personal finances.

The warning comes days after the Baton Rouge Police and Slidell Police departments collected evidence of unknown suspects placing skimming devices on Chase Bank automated teller machines in Baton Rouge and Slidell. The bank’s ATM cameras captured footage of the thieves in action.

“Investigators are attempting to identify the suspect who is believed to have placed ‘skimming devices’ on an ATM at the Chase Bank located on West State Street in Baton Rouge and Gause Boulevard in Slidell,” said Sgt. Don Kelly, public information officer of the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Kelly said the card-reading portion of the device was combined with a small camera to capture both ATM debit card information and customers’ personal identification number (PIN). He said the suspect has since used the information to make unauthorized withdrawals.

Because the investigation is ongoing, Chase Bank administrators were unavailable for comment but several banks in the Tri-parish area have taken note of the situation and are taking precautions to protect their customers in the Terrebonne-Lafourche area.

Capital One has designed a fraud and identity theft campaign to help businesses and individuals recognize and prevent banking scams.

The Louisiana banking system is committed to helping the communities it serves understand more about fraudulent schemes and identity theft scams used by criminals to gain access to the financial assets of individuals and businesses, according to officials.

Capital One’s Area President Robert Naquin said the campaign is for Capital One’s 342 locations in Louisiana and Texas.

He said a recent study by Capital One and Consumer Action, an advocacy group, indicated that an overwhelming majority of Americans have a general awareness of identity theft and resulting fraudulent acts of crime, but many consumers are still unaware of the specific effects of these crimes and the steps to take if they fall victim.

Naquin and other Capital One bank managers encourage the people in the Tri-parishes to learn more about identity theft and fraud by visiting the company’s Web site at www.capitalonebank.com. Information can also be obtained through MoneyWi$e Financial literacy partnership provided by Capital One and Consumer Action or visiting www.money-wise.org.

“Consumers need to know how to protect themselves from identity theft, and they need to learn more about the growing number of Internet and email schemes that criminals are using to steal money,” said Steve Lousteau, south Central Louisiana regional chair for Capital One’s Banking segment. “Anyone can become a victim of fraud of ID theft. It’s important for people to know what to do if this happens to them.”

According to Whitney Bank’s Regional Operations Manager Jodi Spence there are a lot of different fraudulent activities out there. She said Whitney Bank takes protecting its customers’ data very seriously. There are quit a few things that Whitney Bank does to help their bankers protect their customers’ banking information, according to Spence.

“We educate our bankers on identity and fraud theft. We provide our customers with written information from the time they set up an account to help them to tract their banking history. We give our customers ATM safety tips to help them avoid bank account fraud,” Spence said.

Spence said if any of their customers at Whitney Bank’s 83 Louisiana sites believe they have been victimized they should immediately contact any Whitney banker to assist them in straightening out the matter.

Mid-South Bank manager Casey Adams said he bank has strict procedures and policies in identifying customers when calls or letters come in requesting information on an account. He said protecting customers’ banking information starts when a new account is opened and continues throughout the banking relationship.

“We make sure that we have the right person before any information is released. A lot of banks have started the process of supplying people with pre-credit reports, but Mid-South has not gotten that advanced,” Adams said. “We rely on sound business procedures and policies to protect our customers.”

Tri-parish banks have comprised a checklist for its customers to review monthly to ensure that no unknown purchases have been made and to help prevent identity theft. Capital One recommends the following:

• Check your credit report by looking for unusual information such as accounts you don’t recognize and companies with which you do no business.

• Monitor and safeguard your mail, any missed bills and credit card statements should be investigated. Criminals may have taken over the account and changed the address. Never leave outgoing checks or statement information in your mailbox.

• Investigate mysterious purchases by reviewing your credit-card purchases, and call your credit company immediately to explore any irregularities.

Naquin said he personally encourages all the Tri-parish Capital One customers to be more vigilant for check and debit fraud, and international Internet scams. He said identity theft is the lynchpin to many scams. Criminals often use false premises or misrepresent their identity to entice consumers to hand over Social Security numbers, account number information or personal identification numbers that can be used to access the victim’s money.

“For victims, it can take a considerable amount of time and effort to clear up credit records and repair the financial damage ID theft and fraud can cause,” he explained. “It is critical to catch problems early. We want consumers to recognize the danger signs so that they take steps to help minimize the risk and prevent themselves from falling victim.”

“If you become a victim, you should take immediate action to try and contain the damage to your finances,” Lousteau added. “Call your bank or your credit card company for help and file a police report.”

Consumers can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by calling the FTV at 1-877-438-4338.

Sophia Ruffin can be reached at sophia@tri-parishtimes.com.

(Top)Staff photo by Sophia Ruffin * Tri-Parish Times * Recognizing the onslaught of criminal attacks on customers, local banks are fighting back. Capital One, for example, has designed a fraud and identity theft campaign to help businesses and individuals recognize international Internet scams and avert criminal attacks on finances. Capital One’s Area President Robert Naquin said the campaign is for the 342 Capital One locations in Louisiana and Texas. (Bottom-left/right)Photos courtesy of the Baton Rouge Police Department * A Chase Bank ATM camera caught these two men (the left and center photo show the lead suspect; the picture at right is his accomplice) attaching skimmers to the ATM to capture customers’ account information. Police are searching for the suspects.