ElderWeb

Some bank customers (elderly or otherwise!) may be the unwitting subjects of a new fraud scheme that uses fictitious IRS Forms and fraudulent bank correspondence. Fictitious documents that are not genuine IRS Forms and fraudulent letters addressed to a bank customer purporting to be from the customer's bank are being circulated nationwide in an attempt to steal the bank customer's identity and money by having them disclose personal and banking information. Later, when the perpetrator of the fraud contacts the bank, they have all the necessary customer information to appear credible.

Anyone that has filled in and returned the fictitious form via the fax number, mail service, or any other means should promptly notify all financial institutions with whom they do business. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Administrator of National Banks, suggests that anyone affected immediately do the following:

1. Contact the fraud department of each of the three major credit bureaus and report that your identity has been stolen. Also, consider asking the bank to place a "fraud alert" on your file and request that no new credit be granted without prior approval.
   
   

   	Equifax	Experian	Trans Union
   Address:	P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241	P.O. Box 2104 Allen, TX 75013	760 Sproul Road P.O. Box 390 Springfield, PA 19064-0390
   Order Credit Report:	1-800-685-1111	1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)	1-800-916-8800
   Report Fraud:	1-800-525-6285	1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)	1-800-680-7289

2. For any accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened, contact the security department of each affected creditor or financial institution. Consider closing these accounts. Also, on any new accounts you open, consider using a password, but do not use your mother's maiden name.
3. File a report with your local police department or the police where the identity theft took place. Retain a copy of the police report in case your bank, credit card company, or others need proof of the crime at a later date.
4. Contact the Internal Revenue Service to report the incident using the following toll-free hotline number: 1-800-829-0433.

If a customer has received this fictitious form but did not complete and return it, any information which they have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of the Internal Revenue Service at the same toll-free number listed above.

Additional sources of information for on what to do if you are a victim of identity theft, and the precautions to take to prevent becoming a victim, can be found at the Federal Trade Commission's Web site: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/victim.htm and the OCC's Web site: http://www.occ.treas.gov/idtheft.pdf.

Source: OCC Alert List