You have probably heard about Equifax’s recent announcement of a data breach that exposed Social Security Numbers and information for millions of people. We want you to know that River City Bank does NOT report your information to Equifax. However, given the enormity of this situation, we want to share with you some best practices to monitor and protect your private information.
1. Get a free credit report. Federal law guarantees you one free credit report per year from the three major bureaus (yes, including Equifax). Head to this website, www.annualcreditreport.com, to get your most-recent credit report and evaluate it to find any malicious activity.
2. Freeze your credit. A credit freeze essentially blocks potential creditors from being able to view or pull your credit; making it harder for criminals to open credit in your name. A freeze does not affect your ability to use your credit or debit cards, and does not prevent you from using existing lines of credit. In the event you need to apply for credit in the future, your credit file can be “thawed” at any time. Call each of the credit bureaus or visit their websites to freeze your credit — Equifax (800) 349-9960, Experian (888) 397-3742, and TransUnion (888) 909-8872.
3. Set a fraud alert. With a fraud alert on your credit file, a business must verify your identity before issuing credit. Anyone can sign up for a free, 90-day fraud alert. The FTC has information on how to do so here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert.
Your security is important to us. Please take a moment to consider and implement some, if not all, of the above options. Should you have any questions, please call Customer Service at (916) 567-2899 or (800) 564-7144.
