Association Capital Bank Fraud Prevention

As a customer of Association Capital Bank, a Division of Texas Capital Bank, the security of your personal and account information is extremely important to us. Practicing good security habits can ensure that your private information is protected.

Traveling Abroad

If you plan to use your Visa® Debit Card or ATM Card while traveling abroad, please read these precautions before you begin your trip.

– Please advise Association Capital Bank about your travel plans so you have immediate access to your funds.  We work hard to protect your account against fraudulent transactions. If we see unusual card activity, we may temporarily freeze your account until we're able to verify the transaction(s) with you.

– Safeguard your card. Keep your Visa® Debit Card or ATM card in a safe place at all times.

– Protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN).  Do not write your PIN on your Debit Card or ATM Card.

– Know your daily cash withdrawal limit.

– Minimize your transactions.  Fewer transactions will reduce your exposure to fraud and fees.

– Keep your receipts.  Retain the receipts of your transactions so you can reconcile your account when your statement arrives.

To advise us of your travel plans or if you suspect unusual transactions on your account, immediately contact us 888.582.2462.

Alert - Visa^® Phishing Scam

Security Notice: Phishing

On 5/23/06 we were informed of a fraudulent email, often called "phising," targeted toward bank and credit union cardholders. The email claims to be from Visa® and asks cardholders to reactivate their cards by entering account information and then create a new password. The email also states that if the cardholder does not comply, the account will be suspended indefinitely.

Please note that neither Visa® nor Association Capital Bank, a Division of Texas Capital Bank will ever ask cardholders to divulge account information or password via email. If ou receive any questionable emails, Do Not Reply or Contact the Website referenced in the bogus email. If you have questions call our Association Client Service group at 1.855.HOA.1ACB.

Email Scam Alert

In a continuing effort to protect our account holders against fraud and "Identity Theft," we want to make you aware of another phishing scam that has just been discovered. Fraudsters are targeting select companies and individuals with an email that appears to be from Visa® asking them to register their credit and/or debit card with the Verified by Visa® program. Although Verified by Visa® is a very secure and valid program, this fraudulent email is only an attempt to obtain your personal information. The email looks very authentic at first glance. However, when you click on the link to register your card you are presented with a page that asks for your card number, CVC (card verification code), bank name, bank account number, bank routing number and your social security number. The actual Verified by Visa® program does not require you to enter any of this information with the exception of your credit and/or debit card number. Neither, Visa® nor Association Capital Bank, a Division of Texas Capital Bank will ever ask for any of your personal information via an email. Visa® and the FBI are currently investigating the origin of these emails. If you receive a similar email please notify us at 888.582.2462 so we can promptly report the incident to Visa®.

We are advising our bank clients of this phishing scam in order to protect and increase the overall value they receive from using their Association Capital Bank credit and/or debit card. Protecting our cardholders from this type of fraud is extremely important and we will continue to be vigilante and proactive in providing our cardholders with up-to-date information.

Security Notice: Phishing

As a customer of Association Capital Bank, the security of your personal and account information is extremely important to us. Practicing good security habits can help to ensure that your private information is protected. Recently, identity thieves have been sending bogus emails to trick customers into divulging personal or financial information. Many of the emails feature authentic company logos and trade mark language. In addition, the links in these emails direct you to websites that are exact copies of the legitimate bank website.

Important: Association Capital Bank will never ask for your Access ID or Password via email.

We do not send out emails requesting personal information. If you receive an email requesting such information, do not respond. If you have already responded, please notify us immediately by calling our Association Client Service Group at 855.HOA.1ACB.

Creating a Strong Password - Don't Let a Hacker Steal Your Information

The responsibility of selecting a strong password, one that is hard to guess, generally falls to each individual.

For example, if you choose a one-character password, any uppercase letter, lowercase letter or digit, there would be 62 possible passwords. Clearly, a would-be hacker could try all 62 possibilities very quickly.

You could make your password harder to guess by using more characters. Using the same possible characters, there are 3844 possible two-character passwords and 218,340,105,584,896 (about 218 trillion) 8-character passwords. Even if a would-be hacker could try out 5000 eight-character passwords per second, it would take on average, 700 years for them to guess your 8-character password. Clearly, longer passwords are more secure than shorter ones!

It's important to note that even though a password is long, it does not necessarily mean it is secure. For example, you might choose a long password based on something you know - like your spouse's name, child's name or some dictionary word. If you do this, then instead of trying 218 trillion passwords, this hacker could probably guess your password after a few thousand attempts. If they use a computer program to guess passwords, this will only take them a few minutes.

To decrease the chances of anyone ever guessing your password, you must select a hard-to-guess or strong password. A strong password must:

• Be as long as possible (never shorter than 6 characters, 8 or more characters is strongly recommended)
• Include mixed-case letters, if possible
• Include digits and punctuation marks, if possible
• Not be based on any personal information
• Not be based on any dictionary word, in any language 

No matter how many strength rules you use, the persistent hacker will eventually guess your password given enough time. Thus, you must also:

• Change your password regularly (ideally once a month) in order to limit the amount of time available for hackers to guess it
• Do not use the same password twice

Never divulge your password to anyone. There are numerous ruses out there designed to get you to give a would-be hacker your password. Don't do it!

Next, Take Control

Although identity thieves can wreak havoc on your personal finances, there are some things you can do to take control of the situation. Here's how to handle some of the most common forms of identity theft.

If an identity thief has stolen your mail for access to new credit cards, bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers and tax information or falsified change-of-address forms, (s) he has committed a crime. Report it to your local postal inspector.

If you discover that an identity thief has changed the billing address on an existing credit card account, close the account. When you open a new account, ask that a password be used before any inquiries or changes can be made on the account. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers. Avoid the same information and numbers when you create a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

If you have reason to believe that an identity thief has accessed your bank accounts, checking account or ATM card, close the accounts immediately. When you open new accounts, insist on password-only access. If your checks have been stolen or misused, stop payment. If your ATM card has been lost, stolen or otherwise compromised, cancel the card and get another with a new PIN.

If an identity thief has established new phone or wireless service in your name and is making unauthorized calls that appear to come from-and are billed to-your cellular phone, or is using your calling card and PIN, contact your service provider immediately to cancel the account and calling card. Get new accounts and new PINs.

If it appears that someone is using your SSN when applying for a job, get in touch with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify the accuracy of your reported earnings and that your name is reported correctly. Call 800.772.1213 to check your Social Security Statement.

In addition, the SSA may issue you a new SSN at your request if, after trying to resolve the problems brought on by identity theft, you continue to experience problems. Consider this option carefully. A new SSN may not resolve your identity theft problems, and may actually create new problems. For example, a new SSN does not necessarily ensure a new credit record because credit bureaus may combine the credit records from your old SSN with those from your new SSN. Even when the old credit information is not associated with your new SSN, the absence of any credit history under your new SSN may make it more difficult for you to get credit. And finally, there's no guarantee that a new SSN wouldn't also be misused by an identity thief.

If you suspect that your name or SSN is being used by an identity thief to get a driver's license, report it to your Department of Motor Vehicles. Also, if your state uses your SSN as your driver's license number, ask to substitute another number.

Stay Alert

Taking the steps outlined here should, in most cases, resolve your identity theft problems, but identity theft or related credit problems may reoccur. Stay alert to new instances of identity theft. Notify the company or creditor that's involved immediately. Follow up in writing.

Order a copy of your credit report from the three credit bureaus every year to check on their accuracy and whether they include only those debts and loans you've incurred. This could be very important if you're considering a major purchase, such as a house or a car. A credit bureau may charge you up to $8.50 for a copy of your report.

Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft

Identity theft and account fraud are crimes committed when someone steals personal information such as your bank account number or Social Security number, then poses as you and takes funds from your account or accrues debt in your name.

To better protect yourself against identity theft and account fraud:

• Don't give out your account numbers or your Social Security number over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know whom you are dealing with.
• Report lost or stolen checks immediately. Promptly review all checks when you receive new deliveries of checks to be sure none have been stolen in transit.
• Store cancelled checks - and new checks - in a safe place.
• Notify financial institutions immediately if you receive a suspicious phone call from someone purporting to represent the institution and asking for account information "to verify a statement" or "award a prize". Call the client support number listed on your statement if you receive this kind of call from someone who says he or she presents your bank.
• Guard your ATM personal identification number (PIN) and all ATM receipts.
• Before throwing away, tear up all financial solicitations you receive in the mail. Do the same for all other financial statements, invoices, or ATM receipts you wish to discard. A small personal shredder is a good device to have to help with destroying financial documents rather than throwing in the trash.
• Do not put outgoing mail in your mailbox. All mail should be dropped in a secure Postal Service collection box. Thieves may use your mail to steal your identity.
• If regular bills fail to reach you, contact those companies to find out why. Someone may have filed a false change-of-address form to divert your information to his or her address.
• If bills include suspicious items, investigate promptly to head off possible fraud before it occurs.
• Periodically contact the major credit reporting agencies to review your credit file and be sure all information is correct. For a small fee, you can obtain a copy of your credit report at any time. Contact the agencies at the numbers listed below:
       Equifax 800.685.1111
       Experian 888.397.3742
       TransUnion 800.916.8800

If you suspect account fraud, please immediately follow these steps:

• Contact all financial institutions with which you have accounts, including all credit card issuers. Be sure to include specific retail charge cards as well. You may contact Texas Capital Bank at 877.839.2265.
• Contact the major check verification companies to request that retailers using their databases be notified not to accept the stolen checks. You may contact these companies at the numbers listed below:
       Telecheck 800.710.9898
       International Check Services 800.631.9656
       Equifax 800.437.5120
• File a police report with your local police department.
• Contact the three major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report. Review your reports for additional fraudulent activity. Request a "fraud alert" for your file and a victim's statement asking creditors to call you before opening any new accounts or changing existing ones.
• Watch for stolen mail. If you suspect that any mail is not being delivered to you, confirm with the sender and contact your local post office and police. Keep written records of the incident. Include what happened, what was lost or stolen and what steps you took to report the incident to law enforcement and the various agencies, banks and firms involved. Be sure to include the date, time, telephone numbers called, who you spoke to and any other relevant information.