Citibank And Identity Theft Measures Available
Identity theft is crime in which one person has fraudulently obtained another individual's personal information with the intent to steal from that victim. The information that can be obtained to allow access to another's various personal and financial accounts. Such information can be Social Security numbers, birthdates, address information, etc. Often, with this information, identity thieves can open new credit card accounts, access the victim's personal banking account, apply for a loan, etc.
Because of the escalation of identity theft, many financial institutions are taking increased security measures as well as providing various preventative services to their customers. One of these financial institutions is Citibank.
The relationship between Citibank and identity theft and the seriousness of this crime can be demonstrated through the measures that have been implemented. In addition, the customer services that are offered by Citibank and identity theft measures that they provide reflect the commitment they have to protect their customers from being victims of identity theft.
Citibank and Identity Theft Measures Offered
The options for the customers of Citibank and identity theft measures that are made available demonstrate the commitment that Citibank has towards its customers. One of those measures is for the customer to be the recipient of banking statements that can be viewed on line by accessing the Citibank web site.
The major benefit of this service provided by Citibank and identity theft measures that are provided is that the customer can opt out of receiving their bank statement via the U.S. mail. This minimizes the possibilities of personal banking information falling into the hands of those who take mail from individual mail boxes.
Another identity theft measure that is provided by Citibank is in relationship to their credit card department. Those within the credit card department monitor activity and have in place an early fraud warning mechanism. This means that if Citibank personnel detect any unusual activity they will immediately endeavor to contact the credit card holder to insure that the activity demonstrated is authorized.
Additional Citibank And Identity Theft Measures
There are many other options available to customers of Citibank and identity theft measures that are provided which prevent others from accessing their customer's accounts fraudulently. One of those measures is when a new credit card or reissuing of a credit card is conducted. The identity theft measure that Citibank has put into practice is that when such a card is issued the account is blocked. This action prevents any unauthorized use of the account until it has been properly activated by the owner. This activation process requires the cardholder to dial the number on the card from the home phone number that has been established for that account holder. Once the phone number has been identified as the authorized home number the card is activated for use.
In addition, another Citibank and identity theft measure service is the provision of a specific E-mail address that addresses any possible fraudulent E-mail correspondence from Citibank. For example if a customer receives an E-mail from Citibank, the customer in turn can E-mail the specific E-mail address set up to ascertain whether the E-mail correspondence from Citibank is legitimate or not. This service helps to minimize the often used scam from identity thieves who try to trick Citibank customers in providing personal identification numbers or bank account numbers.
