Preventing Account Fraud
BOK Financial takes the privacy of our clients and the security of their accounts very seriously. Currently, there are a number of email scams that are designed to trick you into providing your user ID and password.
To help you defend yourself against these criminals, BOK Financial has compiled a list of simple online tips to help you safeguard your accounts and privacy from these online scams. We've also provided you with some general information on how to prevent account fraud and included links to the FTC's and FDIC's Web pages that contain more detailed information about online safety, identity theft and online fraud.
Additional Information
What is identity theft?
Identity theft, also known as identity fraud, happens when a criminal or imposter obtains key pieces of your personally identifiable information, such as your social security number or credit card number, and tries to steal money from your accounts, open new credit cards on your behalf or commit other crimes—all using your identity. Identity theft can damage your credit, leave you with unwanted bills, and require much time and frustration to clean up.
How do thieves steal an identity?
By using your social security number, credit card number or other financial account information, identity theft may pursue various methods of stealing your information., including:
- Phishing: Pretending to be a financial institution or other company and sending email or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
- Skimming: Stealing credit/debit card numbers by using a special device on ATMs or when processing a purchase.
- Pretexting: Pretending to be you when they call financial institutions, phone companies and other sources to get additional information.
- Account Take Over: In this instance, the criminal will take over the primary inbox of the victim completely, giving the criminal access to change all the passwords of any other accounts tied to the primary email, like banking and investment accounts.
- Spoofing: This is when a criminal pretends to be someone else by changing the sender address in an email.
- Redirecting your mail: Filling out a change-of-address form to have your billing statements sent to an address they choose.
- Common stealing: Stealing information from your mail (such as bank and credit card statements), signing you up for pre-approved credit card offers or taking information by stealing your wallet or purse.
- Dumpster diving: Digging through your trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
How can I find out if my identity was stolen?
There are several ways you can check to see if your identity is stolen and ways to put personal safeguards in place, including:
- Check your accounts and bank statements monthly to ensure no mysterious charges.
- Check your credit report at least once a year for transactions and accounts you don't recognize.
- Be sure to shred any information about your personal account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers or other personal information.
- Consider adding a credit monitoring service or freezing your credit. Plenty of credit cards have monitoring for free, but paying for a reputable monitoring service is a great way to keep watch. You can even freeze your credit for 90 days if you find out you have been a part of a large breach.
What should I do if my identity is stolen?
Notify all your banks and financial companies when you realize your identity has been stolen or an account is at risk. If you bank with BOK Financial, please notify us immediately. We'll work with you to help correct any unauthorized transactions in your BOK Financial accounts, fix any incorrect information we've sent to the credit reporting agencies and help protect you from any future identity theft or account fraud.
We also urge you to take these steps immediately:
- Contact BOK Financial ExpressBank immediately:
- We have safeguards in place to protect our clients' existing accounts including strong online security protection, Visa fraud protection for debit card purchases, and strong credential requirements for all interactions with the bank.
- There is no need to close your existing accounts or replace debit cards. However, we recommend signing up for Online or Mobile Access to be notified of activity on your bank accounts.
- Please note that the bank will not initiate calls to consumers. Clients should not give information to callers stating they represent of the bank.
- Call the fraud departments of all three credit reporting agencies: Ask them to place a fraud alert on your file. This alert tells creditors to call you before they open any new accounts in your name.
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Trained counselors staff the FTC's identity theft hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). Or you can file a complaint by visiting the FTC Identity Theft website.
- File a report with your local police. You may wish to file a report with the local police department. Even if the police can't catch the identity thief, having a police report can help you clear up your credit records later.
- Always consider strong passwords. Keep strong passwords on all your accounts, and if you discover that your information has been involved in a breach, change your password immediately.
What is identity theft?
Identity theft, also known as identity fraud, happens when a criminal or imposter obtains key pieces of your personally identifiable information, such as your social security number or credit card number, and tries to steal money from your accounts, open new credit cards on your behalf or commit other crimes—all using your identity. Identity theft can damage your credit, leave you with unwanted bills, and require much time and frustration to clean up.
How do thieves steal an identity?
By using your social security number, credit card number or other financial account information, identity theft may pursue various methods of stealing your information., including:
- Phishing: Pretending to be a financial institution or other company and sending email or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
- Skimming: Stealing credit/debit card numbers by using a special device on ATMs or when processing a purchase.
- Pretexting: Pretending to be you when they call financial institutions, phone companies and other sources to get additional information.
- Account Take Over: In this instance, the criminal will take over the primary inbox of the victim completely, giving the criminal access to change all the passwords of any other accounts tied to the primary email, like banking and investment accounts.
- Spoofing: This is when a criminal pretends to be someone else by changing the sender address in an email.
- Redirecting your mail: Filling out a change-of-address form to have your billing statements sent to an address they choose.
- Common stealing: Stealing information from your mail (such as bank and credit card statements), signing you up for pre-approved credit card offers or taking information by stealing your wallet or purse.
- Dumpster diving: Digging through your trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
How can I find out if my identity was stolen?
There are several ways you can check to see if your identity is stolen and ways to put personal safeguards in place, including:
- Check your accounts and bank statements monthly to ensure no mysterious charges.
- Check your credit report at least once a year for transactions and accounts you don't recognize.
- Be sure to shred any information about your personal account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers or other personal information.
- Consider adding a credit monitoring service or freezing your credit. Plenty of credit cards have monitoring for free, but paying for a reputable monitoring service is a great way to keep watch. You can even freeze your credit for 90 days if you find out you have been a part of a large breach.
What should I do if my identity is stolen?
Notify all your banks and financial companies when you realize your identity has been stolen or an account is at risk. If you bank with BOK Financial, please notify us immediately. We'll work with you to help correct any unauthorized transactions in your BOK Financial accounts, fix any incorrect information we've sent to the credit reporting agencies and help protect you from any future identity theft or account fraud.
We also urge you to take these steps immediately:
- Contact BOK Financial ExpressBank immediately:
- We have safeguards in place to protect our clients' existing accounts including strong online security protection, Visa fraud protection for debit card purchases, and strong credential requirements for all interactions with the bank.
- There is no need to close your existing accounts or replace debit cards. However, we recommend signing up for Online or Mobile Access to be notified of activity on your bank accounts.
- Please note that the bank will not initiate calls to consumers. Clients should not give information to callers stating they represent of the bank.
- Call the fraud departments of all three credit reporting agencies: Ask them to place a fraud alert on your file. This alert tells creditors to call you before they open any new accounts in your name.
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Trained counselors staff the FTC's identity theft hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). Or you can file a complaint by visiting the FTC Identity Theft website.
- File a report with your local police. You may wish to file a report with the local police department. Even if the police can't catch the identity thief, having a police report can help you clear up your credit records later.
- Always consider strong passwords. Keep strong passwords on all your accounts, and if you discover that your information has been involved in a breach, change your password immediately.
Who to contact
If you see an unauthorized charge or believe your account with BOK Financial has been compromised, please contact us.