When it comes to personal finances you can never be too careful. Identity theft, email “phishing”, and credit card theft are all on the rise. At BankAtlantic we’ve taken extra steps to ensure that your information is secure. Below are a few ways that we protect your accounts and some additional tips to help keep your financial information safe.

Preventing Identity Theft
Identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information such as your name, social security number, email address and password, to commit fraud. To help prevent this you should never answer a telephone or email request from a company to verify personal information. Do not use your mother’s maiden name as a password or carry your birth certificate or passport with you. Shred personal documents such as pre-approved credit offers and old credit card receipts.

Signs of Identity Theft and What Action to Take
If you are a victim of identity theft you can minimize damage by catching it early. Watch for strange bills to arrive in your name, debt collection calls for unfamiliar bills, and monitor your monthly credit card statements. If someone does steal your identity, cancel the account(s) that were compromised, notify all of your creditors and financial institutions by calling and in writing, and shred any checks and ATM cards associated with the stolen accounts. You should also file a police report.

Email Phishing
Unfortunately, email phishing (suspicious emails that appear to be from a reputable business asking for your personal information) is on the rise. BankAtlantic will never ask you to enter personal or account information in an email or to download an email attachment. If you accidentally reveal personal information in response to a fraudulent email, call BankAtlantic immediately at 1-800-741-1700; we will protect your accounts and place a fraud alert on your customer record.

Additional Access Authentication
As a safety precaution you will occasionally be prompted to answer your security verification question(s) when logging in to your Bank Atlantic Online Banking Bill Pay account. You can review your security verification question and answer in the “Manage Your Accounts” section under the “User Services” tab on BankAtlantic.com.

For More Information
For additional suggestions on enhancing the security of your financial and personal information and for details on BankAtlantic.com’s security measures please visit our online security policy, https://www.bankatlantic.com/securitypolicy/default.html or call 800-741-1700.