Bank of Hawaii launches debit card fraud alerts

To help minimize fraud, Bank of Hawaii has launched debit card fraud alerts. The bank reviews accounts for fraudulent activity, and protects consumer and business cardholders by immediately alerting them of suspicious activity on their debit cards through email. (Contributed Photo)

HONOLULU, Hawaii—It seems that being a victim of fraud is commonplace in today’s digitally driven world. Scammers attempt to interfere with financial accounts and transactions wherever you are—on the phone, online or at home. According to Javelin Strategy & Research’s 2018 Identity Fraud Study, a record 16.7 million U.S. consumers became victims of fraud in 2017—a 1 million increase compared to 2016.

The sooner consumers are aware of potential fraudulent activity, the quicker they may help reduce and stop further financial loss. To help minimize fraud, Bank of Hawaii has launched debit card fraud alerts. The bank reviews accounts for fraudulent activity, and protects consumer and business cardholders by immediately alerting them of suspicious activity on their debit cards through email. If no response is received, Bank of Hawaii will also attempt to contact consumers in Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa through interactive voice. (Phone alerts are currently not available for Palau or international phone numbers.) Debit card consumers are automatically enrolled in this service, and can recognize a BOH Fraud Alert when it is sent from “869-75” via text, FraudServiceCenter@boh.com via email and 1-800-369-4887 via phone call.

Bank of Hawaii will only ask consumers to verify whether or not a purchase has been made. The bank will never request account or personal information through fraud alerts. Consumers who are proactive and exercise good online security habits can minimize their risk and impact of identity fraud. Here are some tips:

Make sure your contact information is up to date. Visit a branch, call our 24-Hour Customer Service Center (at 1-888-643-3888) or log in to e-Bankoh to check and update your personal information, including cell phone numbers and email addresses regularly.

Protect your information. Scammers have gotten very sophisticated. They now spoof company phone numbers, which appear on Caller ID as a legitimate business. While BOH may contact you about fraudulent activity, the bank would never ask you for personal identification information, such as PINs, passwords or SSNs. Any such request in order to block your card or to remove fraudulent charges should be viewed as highly suspicious and you should hang up. You may confirm the validity of suspicious requests by contacting the company supposedly contacting you by using phone numbers or email addresses that are known to be legitimate.

Use online and mobile banking. Customers can monitor their accounts on a daily basis without having to wait for a monthly paper statement.

For more information, visit https://www.boh.com/fraudalerts. (BOH)