Fraud & Identity Theft Awareness

German American Bank values the safety and security of our customers and your financial well being. Education and awareness are of the utmost importance in safeguarding your financial and personal data. We encourage you to take precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones. Consider following and sharing the below tips.  

You should NEVER supply your username, password, account number, credit card number, check card number or any other personal or confidential information via phone or email, and NEVER click on links or reply directly to any email  or text in question. If you receive a suspicious email or text, you should DELETE it immediately.

As your financial services provider we will NEVER call, text or send you an email asking you to supply personal information, such as:

• User IDs
• Passwords
• Social Security Number
• Card or Account Numbers
• Card Verification Value/Card Verification Code (CVV/CVC)

Check your accounts and bank statements (online or paper) each month to look for fraudulent activity. You should also review your credit report annually for transactions and accounts you don't recognize.

There are many types of fraudulent activities that could be used to attempt to steal your personal information.

• Phishing:Pretending to be a financial institution or other company and sending email, text messages or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information
• Skimming: Stealing credit/check 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
• Redirecting your mail: Filling out a change-of-address form to have your billing statements sent to an address they choose
• Old-fashioned stealing: Grabbing wallets and purses, mail (including bank and credit card statements), pre-approved credit offers, new checks or tax information; they can even steal a company’s personnel records or enlist employees who have access to your information
• Dumpster diving: Rummaging through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it

If your identity is stolen or at risk

Notify all of your banks and financial companies immediately. You can call our Customer Care Center at (800)482-1314, and we'll work with you to help correct any unauthorized transactions in your account(s) and help protect you from any future identity theft or account fraud. You should also take the following steps:

• Call the fraud department of all 3 credit reporting agencies and ask them to place an 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 report with your local police. Having a police report can help clear up your credit records later on, even if the thief is not caught.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling their toll-free hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or by visiting www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

For more tips and information, check out the following resources:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft site
• U.S. Department of Justice Fraud Section site