Customer Care Center

Safeguarding Your Information

1. Safeguard your information.
   • Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them.
   • Protect your Social Security number. Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier.
   • Limit the confidential information in your wallet in case it gets stolen. Don't carry more checks, credit cards or other bank items than you need.
   • Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with.
   • If you disclose personal information, contact one of the three major credit bureaus listed below and discuss whether to place a fraud alert on your file. A fraud alert will help prevent thieves from opening a new account in your name.
     
     Equifax 800-525-6285 www.equifax.com
     
     Experian 888-397-3742 www.experian.com
     
     TransUnion 800-680-7289 www.transunion.com
   • Don't use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Change your password every 60 days.
   • Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house.
   • Put your outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove incoming mail from your mailbox. If you receive any regularly scheduled checks, you should seriously consider direct deposit. Contact your financial institution for more information.
2. Safeguard your computer and computer use.
   • Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; keep them up-to-date. Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information.
   • Avoid using a public computer. Since you do not know what software or hardware has been installed on these computers, it is impossible to be 100% sure that someone has not installed something that will capture your username and password or your account information.
   • Any computer you do not own or control should be treated as if it is infected with viruses and other malicious programs and should never be trusted.
   • Don't open emails from senders you don't know. Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know.
   • Note that fraudulent emails often include misspellings and poor grammar and are often sent with a sense of urgency; attempting you to respond quickly.
3. Routinely monitor your financial accounts and billing statements.
   • Monitor your account activity closely and watch for unusual activity. You can use Country Bank's Online Banking or Country 24 to access your accounts 24/7.
   • Read your financial account and credit card statements carefully, looking for any charges you did not make.
   • Be alert to bills that do not arrive as expected or unexpected credit card or account statements or calls about purchases you did not make.
4. Order and inspect your credit report.
   • Credit reports contain information about you, including what accounts you have and your bill paying history. The law requires the major nationwide consumer reporting companies--Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion-- give you a free copy of your credit report each year if you ask for it.
   • Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228, a service created by these three companies, to order your free credit reports each year. You also can write: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
5. Deal only with legitimate, reputable businesses.
   • Try to know the people with whom you do business; do business with companies you already know or that have been recommended.
   • Be cautious about accepting checks from people you do not know, since it may be difficult to pursue a remedy if the transaction goes wrong.
   • Do your research before giving money or personal information to an unfamiliar merchant, charity, or other organization.
6. Be suspicious if someone insists you send funds by wire transfer or pressures you to act quickly before you know the payment you received is good. Legitimate offers will always be there tomorrow.
7. When you use the Internet to sell goods or services, consider other options such as escrow services or online payment systems rather than payment by cashier's check.
8. Save your documents - you may need this paperwork if something goes wrong.
9. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Notify us immediately if you receive requests for your Country Bank account information or if you disclosed your Country Bank account information. Call our Security Department at 1-800-322-8233 or email Fraudhotline@countrybank.com

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you an opportunity to limit the telemarketing calls you receive. Once you register your phone number, telemarketers covered by the Telemarketing Sales Rule have up to 31 days from the date you register to stop calling you. You can register your number by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to register or by emailing www.donotcall.gov. Registration is free.

Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone pollsters are still permitted.

Organizations with which you have an established business relationship can call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase, payment or delivery - even if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry; and companies to which you've made an inquiry or submitted an application can call you for three months.

If your number has been on the National Do Not Call Registry for at least 31 days and you receive a call from a telemarketer that you believe is covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint at the registry's website www.donotcall.gov or by calling the registry's toll free number at 1-888-382-1222 (for TYY, call 1-866-290-4236). To file a complaint, you must know either the name or telephone number of the company that called you, and the date the company called you.

You have the ability to opt out of credit card offers that you receive in the mail or over the phone. Choosing to opt out of credit card offers not only frees up your time and mailbox, it also helps remove the temptation to get further in debt.

If you would like to put a stop to the offers, choose one of the following:

• Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) to have your name removed from direct marketing lists. When you call, you'll be asked for personal information, including your home telephone number, your name, and your Social Security number. The information you provide is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit.
• Visit www.optoutprescreen.com which is the official consumer credit reporting industry opt-out website.