The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that it could take you approximately six months and 200 hours of work to recover from identity theft. This estimation is based on the amount of work needed to follow the necessary steps to ensure you are not the one responsible for the debt incurred.

Warning Signs of Identity Theft

How to Stay Aware

You may not know that you experienced ID theft immediately, so be aware of:

• Bills for items you did not buy.
• Debt collection calls for accounts you did not open.
• Information on your credit report for accounts you did not open.
• Denials of loan applications.
• Mail doesn’t arrive or is missing from your mailbox.

Prevention Tips

How to Protect Yourself

• Use multi-factor authentication wherever offered. Do not reuse passwords, and if you have a lot of passwords, consider using a password vault.
• Do not answer phone calls, texts, social media messages, or emails from numbers or people you do not know. Enable blockers to help filter out scam numbers.
• Do not share personal information like your bank account number, social security number, or date of birth.
• Collect your mail every day and place a hold on your mail when you are on vacation or away from your home.
• Review credit card and bank account statements. Watch for and report unauthorized or suspicious transactions.
• Understand how ATM skimming works and how to protect yourself.
• Learn when it is safe to use a public Wi-Fi network.
• Store personal information, including your social security card, in a safe place. Do not carry it in your wallet.
• Do not share personal information or dates of vacations on social media.

If you realize you clicked or responded to a phishing email involving your Wolf River Community Bank account:

1. Contact us immediately so we can inform you how to protect your accounts.
2. If you have our online banking or mobile app, turn off your debit card.
3. Consider contacting the 3 credit agencies to temporarily freeze your credit.
4. Additionally, you could report the incident to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or the Internet Crime Center at www.ic3.gov.

 Information provided in part by FS-ISAC, Inc. 2024.