Security and Fraud Tips

New Email Scam

HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FRAUD ALERT

01/13/10--The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:

Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.

Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.

Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group's existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.

Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.

Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov.

Phishing Email Alert

Please be advised!

Random individuals and/or companies may have received a falsified e-mail with the subject title "Rejected ACH Transaction." This e-mail appears to be from NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association telling them that there is a problem with an ACH transaction they have originated.

The e-mail includes a link which redirects the individual to a fake web page which appears like the NACHA website and contains a link which is almost certainly executable virus with malware. See sample below.

Please alert any financial institution and/or company who have questions about this site and inform them that the e-mail did not originate from NACHA, the website is not that of NACHA's, and inform them to not click on the link.

For additional information, please go to: www.nacha.org.

Computer Security

Here are some ways to protect yourself and your personal information when using your computer:

  • Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. You should use your anti-virus software to run scans on your computer files weekly to check for viruses.
  • Your passwords should contain a mix of letters and numbers. Avoid using birthdays, Social Security numbers or anything easily associated with you. Make sure that you change your passwords regularly and do not share your passwords with anyone.
  • If you have Microsoft Windows, download and install the Microsoft security patches to keep your computer up to date. You can set up your computer to automatically download all of the patches for you or you can download and install only the patches that you want.
  • Use a personal firewall on your computer. A firewall prevents outsiders from gaining unauthorized access to your computer and installing spyware, viruses, or other applications on your machine. Most new personal computers will come with firewall software already enabled but you should double-check your computer to make sure.
  • If you get an unsolicited email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply to it and do not click on the link in the message. Instead, you should contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know is genuine or open a new internet browser session and type in the company's correct Web address yourself.

Note that State Bank of Countryside will never request your confidential information through email. If you receive an email pretending to be from State Bank of Countryside that asks for your personal or financial information, please contact us immediately.

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it to establish credit, borrow money, charge items, or even commit crimes in your name.

Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from this growing crime:

  • Shred any financial statements, receipts, cancelled checks, and pre-approved credit card offers you have received but don't plan to use.
  • Remove mail promptly from your mailbox. Never use your mailbox for outgoing mail because identity thieves raid mailboxes for credit card offers and statements.
  • Under no circumstances should you give out your social security number, credit card numbers, account numbers or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to anyone via email or over the phone.
  • Be sure to review your credit report each year. If someone is applying for credit in your name, a copy of your credit report may help point this out. You can obtain a free credit report once a year from each of the credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) by calling 877-322-8228 or going to www.annualcreditreport.com.

Some of the signs that you may be a victim of Identity Theft include:

  • Fraudulent charges on your credit card statement
  • Receiving bills for goods or services that you didn't request
  • Suspicious inquiries on your credit report
  • Phone calls from creditors
  • Suddenly being denied credit

If you think that you are a victim of Identity Theft, you should take the following steps:

  • Contact your credit card company and your financial institution to close accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened.
  • You should also contact the fraud department at any one of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax at 800-525-6285, Experian at 888-397-3742 or TransUnion at 800-680-7289. The credit bureau you contact will share the information with the other two and a "fraud alert" will be placed in your credit file at all three companies.
  • Call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271.
  • File a report with the police and get a copy of the report in case you need proof of the crime for your credit card companies or financial institutions.
  • Notify the Federal Trade Commission at 877-438-4338 or go to www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

ATM Safety

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind when using an ATM:

  • Have your ATM card ready and in your hand when you approach the machine. Be aware of your surroundings throughout the transaction. Be wary of people offering help or of anyone sitting in a parked car nearby. When leaving the ATM, make sure that you are not being followed. If you are, drive immediately to a police or fire station.
  • Do not use an ATM that appears unusual looking or offers unfamiliar options.
  • Don't write your Personal Identification Number (PIN) on your card. Also, don't give the number out to anyone, including friends and family. Do not let people look over your shoulder as you enter your PIN.
  • Never count your cash at the machine or in public. Wait until you are in a secure place.
  • Maintain a supply of deposit envelopes at home or in your car. Prepare all transaction paperwork prior to your arrival at the ATM. This will minimize your time at the ATM.

Phishing and Pharming

"Phishing" refers to unsolicited emails that look like they are from a trusted company or institution but are really from Internet fraudsters. Sometimes these messages will direct you to a bogus website that looks like a legitimate organization's website. These type of emails, pop-up messages and bogus websites are attempts at luring you into providing the fraudster with your personal information, such as credit card numbers, bank account information, passwords and other sensitive information. "Pharming" crimeware misdirects users to fraudulent sites or proxy servers, typically through DNS hijacking or poisoning.

If you get an unsolicited email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply to it and do not click on the link in the message. Instead, you should contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know is genuine. You could also open a new Internet browser session and type in the company's correct Web address yourself.

Note that State Bank of Countryside will never request your confidential information through email. If you receive an email pretending to be from State Bank of Countryside that asks for your personal or financial information, please contact us immediately.

Shopping Online

When shopping online, you should make sure the website you are shopping at is secure by looking for a padlock or key image at the bottom right of your browser window. You should not provide account information on a website that isn't secure. Also, use the log off or log out button to end a secure session instead of just closing your browser. If you are using Internet Explorer, make sure you are running the latest version. Another tip is that you can check your browser to make sure it has the security of 128-Bit Encryption. To do this, open up your Internet Explorer and click on the Help button at the top of your browser. Next, click on About Internet Explorer and then see if the Cipher Strength is at 128-bit.

Secure Sign On

Secure Sign On adds another level of Security to Online Banking, offering further protection from online fraudulent activity.

Secure Sign On protects you from identity theft and fraud in two ways:

  • You will know you are in the right place: Secure Sign On provides you with visual cues when you sign on, so you know that you are on our website and it is safe to enter information; this will help you protect yourself from fraudulent look-alike sites
  • We will know it's really you: Secure Sign On helps us ensure that only authorized individuals can access financial information online