GTSB, Visa, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other agencies all advise consumers to never give out confidential personal information or financial account information when receiving unsolicited phone calls or e-mails. Additionally, they note that court personnel will never ask for such information over the phone, and that courts typically communicate only via traditional mail.

To protect against identity theft, consumers are advised to take these precautions:

Always verify the legitimacy of a caller by asking for official company or agency contact information and using directory assistance to verify and cross-reference the information given.

Never rely solely on the phone number the caller provides as verification of the legitimacy of the call. Scam artists often have accomplices answer the phone to appear legitimate in the event of a return call. Never respond directly to unsolicited e-mail messages or follow links to web sites provided therein. Close the message and open a new Web browser window to go to the official company or agency web site to verify the authenticity of the e-mail.

No matter how official the caller sounds or the e-mail message appears, legitimate businesses and government agencies will not ask for confidential personal information or financial account information in their correspondence.

This information was provided to Germantown Trust & Savings Bank in a Visa® U.S.A. Inc. Data Security Brief.