Phishing
The term "phishing," as in fishing for confidential information, refers to a scam that encompasses fraudulently obtaining and using an individual's personal or financial information. This is how it works:
- A consumer receives an e-mail that appears to originate from a financial institution, government agency, or other well-known/reputable entity.
- The message describes an urgent reason you must "verify" or "re-submit" personal or confidential information by clicking on a link embedded in the message.
- The provided link appears to be the website of the financial institution, government agency or other well-known/reputable entity, but in "phishing" scams, the Web site belongs to the fraudster/scammer.
- Once inside the fraudulent website, the consumer may be asked to provide Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords or other information used to identify the consumer, such as the maiden name of the consumer's mother or the consumer's place of birth.
- When the consumer provides the information, those perpetrating the fraud can begin to access consumer accounts or assume the person's identity.
It is important to note that CIT Bank will never ask for personal or confidential information in this manner. CIT Bank communications will only use links to the official CIT Bank web page located at https://cit.com/cit-bank.
Anti-malware software can identify and warn you when accessing a suspicious website. You can also look for the following items to determine if a site is valid or not. The CIT Bank site will include the following:
- A lock icon in the address bar;
- A URL that begins with https://; and
- A URL like https://cit.com/citbank
If you click on a link that takes you to a website whose address begins with something else, or which includes apparent abbreviations of our bank name, it’s not a genuine CIT Bank site – even if it looks familiar. You should refrain from using any links or information found at such fraudulent sites.
If you suspect an e-mail or website is fraudulent, please report this information to CIT Bank, using this number 855-462-2652. If you suspect that you have been a victim of identity theft, perhaps because you submitted personal information in response to a suspicious, unsolicited e-mail or you see unauthorized charges on your credit card, immediately contact CIT Bank and, if necessary, close existing accounts and open new ones. Also contact the police and request a copy of any police report or case number for later reference. In addition, contact the credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your profile and to order a report. You only need to contact one credit reporting bureau. The credit bureau you call is required to contact the other two. When you place a fraud alert on your credit profile, any new credit requests will receive careful review to ensure the applicant is you.
Voice Phishing Phone Calls
You will never receive a call from CIT Bank asking you to provide your account information. Imposters placing these calls are engaging in a practice known as "vishing" or "voice phishing," through which they attempt to obtain your account and security information.
If you receive a call like the one described above, or any other suspicious phone call inquiring about your account(s) with CIT Bank, do not provide your account or security information. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Call Center toll-free at 855-462-2652 to report such activities.
Text SMS
Text (SMS) scams “smishing” is a phishing attempt using text messages with the goal of obtaining your bank account number and/or other personal/sensitive information. CIT Bank customers can sign up to receive SMS text alerts on their accounts. If you’ve signed up to receive SMS text alerts on your account(s) and receive a text message on your mobile device that you were not expecting or were uncertain that it came from CIT Bank, please delete it immediately and DO NOT call the telephone number or open any links in the message. Use known phone numbers ( 855-462-2652 ). This type of message may be an attempt to obtain your bank account number fraudulently.
Email
If you receive an e-mail claiming that your access to "Online Services" with CIT Bank has been suspended, know that it is false and was NOT sent by CIT Bank.
If you receive an email claiming to be from CIT Bank, telling you that your access has (or will be) suspended, please DO NOT open it or click any of the links inside. Promptly delete the e-mail or mark it as "Spam."
Remember, we will never send you an e-mail requesting sensitive account information.
If you believe that you've been the victim of online fraud or identity theft, please notify us by either calling toll-free at 855-462-2652 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or e-mail us at privacyemail@cit.com. Please include your name, e-mail address, telephone number and a detailed description.
Caller ID Spoofing
There are companies engaging in telemarketing activities that will spoof (or manipulate) the caller ID to make it appear that the call is coming from CIT Bank. These companies are performing this illegal activity for purposes of enticing the called party to pick up the phone, after which they proceed to pitch the service they are offering. We encourage any customer receiving this type of call or any other suspicious call in which the caller claims to be a representative of CIT Bank to ask for the name of the caller and then contact our Call Center toll-free at 855-462-2652.
If you receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from CIT Bank, please be vigilant and follow the guidelines below:
- Do NOT provide any personal information to these callers.
- Contact CIT Bank toll-free at 855-462-2652.
