Security
At First Investors, we recognize the sensitive nature of your financial information and take appropriate precautions to protect your privacy. We are committed to the security of your account and personal information and want to keep your account safe from unauthorized access. To that end, we maintain an information safeguards program. As part of these programs, we have implemented a Security Plan to Protect Customer Information that contains our policies, procedures, safeguards and internal controls designed to:
  • protect customer information from misuse or unauthorized access,
  • ensure the proper disposal of customer information, and
  • allow compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to safeguarding and proper disposal of customer information.
As part of our commitment, we want to help you protect yourself from fraud and identity theft. Please be advised that we promptly investigate any reported suspicious activity. Therefore, please contact us immediately as indicated below if you suspect fraud or identity theft or if you notice any suspicious activity involving your First Investors account. Also, please be aware of the following:
Debt Relief Scams
Debt relief service scams target consumers with significant credit card debt by falsely promising to negotiate with their creditors to settle or otherwise reduce consumers' repayment obligations. These operations often charge consumers a large up-front fee, but then fail to help them settle or lower their debts – if they provide any service at all. Auto loan modification scams falsely promise that they can reduce consumers' monthly car loan or lease payments to help them avoid repossession. First Investors does not maintain relationships with debt reduction or loan modification companies. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact First Investors directly to discuss your specific situation to see what options may exist. Never pay a debt relief or loan modification company for the purpose of modifying your account with First Investors and never believe them if they tell you that they have a relationship with us or guarantee results. If someone contacts you claiming that they are able to modify your loan with First Investors and requests an upfront fee, do not make the payment and notify us via telephone at 1-800-249-6305 or email at reportfraud@fifsg.com.
Advance Fee Loan Scams
Some companies promise you a loan or credit card regardless of your credit history. But they want you to pay a “processing” or other fee first. Advance-fee loan scams target people who have bad credit or trouble getting a loan for other reasons. The scammers post ads, often online, or call with these so-called deals. Many buy lists of the names of people who have searched or applied online for payday or other loans. In these scams, the consumer is often told that the loan is “guaranteed” or “no credit check” is required, but an advance fee is required. Many of the individuals and companies operating this scam do business over the internet or telephone. Sometimes the individual or company may claim to be calling from or on behalf of a legitimate company and may even disguise their caller identification or email to appear to be from the legitimate company. First Investors does not guarantee loan approval and will never ask for or require an up-front fee. Any fees charged by us will be disclosed to you and only paid at the time of funding after the loan application is approved. If someone contacts you claiming to be from First Investors and requests an upfront fee, do not make the payment and notify us via telephone at 1-800-249-6305 or email at reportfraud@fifsg.com.
Credit Repair Scams
Credit repair scams frequently target financially distressed consumers who are having credit problems. These operations lure consumers to purchase their services by falsely claiming that they will remove negative information from consumers' credit reports even if that information is accurate. Be wary if the credit repair company:
  • Demands payment upfront: The company wants you to pay before it provides any services. Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, credit repair companies can’t request or receive payment until they’ve completed the services they’ve promised. Some companies will structure monthly payment plans to avoid this requirement, and you should know that no form of upfront payment is legal. A simple rule to follow is “Don’t pay upfront.” If the company uses telemarketing such that the Telemarketing Sales Rule applies, the company may not request or receive fees until it has provided you with a credit report generated more than six months after the promised results that shows the results.
  • Sounds too good to be true: The company tells you it can get rid of the negative credit information in your credit report in a short period (even if that information is accurate and up-to-date), promises a specific increase in credit score, or guarantees results. No one can do this. It simply takes time to repair your credit file.
  • Can’t answer questions: The company representative cannot explain the specifics of the services they are offering you or the total cost for those services. Asking a few simple questions can help you determine if you are dealing with a reputable organization.
  • Holding back or providing misinformation: The company doesn’t inform you of your rights, including your right to obtain a written contract outlining the details of your arrangement, as well as having the ability to cancel your contract with the company within three business days. The company does not disclose the full cost of its services, and/or the company suggests that you should not (or cannot) contact any of the nationwide credit reporting companies directly (you can).
  • Asks you to misrepresent information: The company suggests that you try to invent a “new” credit identity – resulting in a new credit report – by applying for an Employer Identification Number instead of your Social Security number.
Know Your Rights
According to the Telemarketing Sales Rule, it’s illegal for a company to charge you for credit repair unless it has been six months since the company achieved the promised results. Therefore, your credit report has to show that the promised results were achieved six months earlier than you can be billed. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have a legal right to dispute credit history errors yourself for free. You don’t have to pay a credit repair company to do it for you. If you believe that First Investors is furnishing any inaccurate or obsolete information to any credit bureau, you may submit a dispute to us directly. You may submit via e-mail to compliance@fifsg.com. Please include the specific information that you are disputing and provide any information you have to support the dispute. We will conduct an investigation upon receipt and notify you of our findings.
Awareness of these fraud scams is the best protection
Phishing is a scam to deceive users into providing sensitive information such as credit/debit card numbers, PINs, account number, User IDs and Passwords for online banking, and Social Security numbers. These are usually presented to the user via email with a sense of urgency in order to get the recipient to respond quickly. The recipient is asked to respond with the requested information or by accessing a link provided in the email.
Spear Phishing is a more specific form of Phishing where the sender may already have some details such as an account number in order to make the email look more authentic. Or it may target employees of a particular organization to make it appear someone else with the organization sent the email. These emails may appear to be more personalized.
Whaling is an even more personalized form of Phishing where individuals collect extensive information on executives or other key members of a company using various social engineering techniques. Most of these emails attempt to deceive the recipient into clicking a link or attachment within the email which would then install malicious software.
Vishing or Voice Phishing termed “vishing” attempts to deceive users into divulging sensitive information over the phone, typically through automated customer service lines and Voice over IP services. Recipients may receive an email or text message that instructs them to call a number regarding a problem with their account. Once the targeted person (potential victim) calls that number, the automated service or perpetrators will ask the person to provide sensitive data such as their account number, social security number, date and dollar amount of their last deposit/withdrawal, etc.
Social Engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information usually through telephone or online communication. The term applies to trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer access; in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victim.
Pretext Calling is a form of social engineering. It is a scheme associated with identity theft in which a fraudster, pretending to represent a legitimate person or entity, calls an unsuspecting party seeking personal identification data, such as social security numbers, passwords, account information, account activity, last deposit/withdrawal amount, etc. Remember, sensitive information should NEVER be provided via telephone, unless you are the party who initiated the contact or know exactly with whom you are communicating. Remember, legitimate businesses with which you maintain a relationship already have all the information they need about you.
Best practices
Suspicious sender?
Do you know the email address, phone number, or short code? Don’t respond to messages from a sender you don’t recognize.
Unexpected request?
If you receive an unexpected request to unblock your account, update your information, or verify your identity, don’t click on any links or respond.
Unusual language?
Are there spelling or grammar mistakes in the message? Does it contain unusual formatting, such as text in call caps, ID numbers, or punctuation like exclamation points? It may be a scam, so don’t respond.

First Investors may contact you by email, text, or phone regarding your account. When we contact you, we will not ask for confidential information such as your Social Security Number, date of birth, or bank account information. If you are uncomfortable about a request for information, do not respond and instead call us using a telephone number that you know is ours (e.g., on your servicing statement) prior to responding to it.
Protect Yourself
We recommend that you take the following precautions to guard against the unauthorized use of your information:
  • Properly dispose of documents and paperwork containing sensitive information (e.g., financial documents) by shredding them and never place the unshredded documents in your garbage.
  • Protect your Social Security number by not carrying your Social Security card in your wallet and by disclosing it only if absolutely necessary.
  • Do not give out sensitive information on the telephone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact and know exactly with whom you are dealing.
  • Never click on links sent in unsolicited e-mails and use up-to-date firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer.
  • Do not use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
  • Keep your sensitive information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house.
  • Detect suspicious activity by routinely monitoring your financial accounts and billing statements.
  • Report any suspicious activity to the appropriate parties (e.g., your financial institution and law enforcement) immediately.
For more information about deterring, detecting and defending against identity theft, please visit the following web site operated by the Federal Trade Commission: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft.
Also, please read the Identity Theft Brochure designed to assist consumers in preventing and resolving identity theft.
If you believe that you have been a victim of identity theft, then we recommend that you notify any one of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report and your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. You may also want to visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Web Site via the following link: https://www.identitytheft.gov/Steps.
Contact Us - To report a suspicious e-mail or telephone call that purports to be from First Investors or that uses First Investors’ name, please contact us toll-free immediately at 1-800-249-6305. Also, please forward any suspicious e-mails to us at reportfraud@fifsg.com.
Alert a Consumer Reporting Company with Your Concerns - If you suspect that you might be a victim of identity theft, contact the three major credit bureaus listed below to place a fraud alert on your credit file: