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INTERNET BANKING SECURITY
To help safeguard customer information, and combat identity theft and account fraud, we have established additional controls to authenticate the identity of customers accessing electronic banking services.
These controls are known as multi-factor authentication or layered security. Over time, as technology has changed and computer crime has increased, popular methods to verify the user’s identity have sometimes proven to be an insufficient control. Multi-factor authentication and layered security will make it more difficult for unauthorized persons to access electronic banking services.
All of your internet banking activities should be done through our secure web site. Classic Bank will not request any personal information from customers via email or pop up menus. We will not send you email instructions to download any banking software to your computer. If you encounter a suspicious email claiming to be from the bank, or notice that our website has changed or looks different, or if you receive an unsolicited pop-up window that claims affiliation with Classic Bank, call us immediately at 254-697-6461 or 1-800-789-6461.
FRAUDULENT EMAILS AND WEBSITES
Classic Bank will never ask customers to send personal information to us via email or pop-up windows. Any unsolicited request for personal identifying information or Classic Bank account information that you receive through emails, websites, or pop-up windows should be consider as fraudulent and reported to us immediately.
What is Fraudulent Email?
Fraudulent email occurs when someone poses as a legitimate company, trusted site, or friend in an attempt to obtain sensitive personal information. If obtained, a person may fraudulently conduct transactions on your existing accounts.
Fraudulent e-mails will often:
- Appear to come from a legitimate source. Some emails are easily identified as fraudulent, but others may appear to come from a legitimate address and trusted source. Do not rely on the name or address in the "From" field, as this is easily altered.
- Contain fraudulent job offers. Some fraudulent emails appear to come from companies offering job opportunities.
- Contain prizes or gift certificate offers. Some fraudulent emails promise a prize or gift in exchange for completing a survey or answering questions. They may instruct you to provide your personal information to collect the alleged prize or certificate. (Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.)
- Describes a reason why you must "verify" or "re-submit" confidential information—such as bank account and credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs)—using a return e-mail, a form on a linked Web site, or a pop-up message with the name and sometimes even the logo of the bank, company or government agency. Perhaps you're told that your bank account information has been lost or stolen or that limits may be imposed on your account unless you provide additional details.
What is Phishing?
Phishing is a type of on-line fraud that can result in identity theft. Phishing is a scheme whereby scammers use fake websites and emails to fish for valuable personal information from consumers. Phishing involves the use of email messages or other forms of contact appearing to come from your bank or other trusted source, but are actually from scam artists.
How do I Detect a Phishing Scam?
- The message you receive has an “urgent” tone, it may advise you to act quickly.
- It may suggest that your account has been threatened.
- The message requests personal information such as your account numbers, credit and check card numbers, social security numbers, online banking IDs and passwords, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, or other confidential information.
- The email, fax, or letter may advise you not to tell anyone about the message.
How do I Avoid a Phishing Scam?
- Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited call, fax, letter, e-mail or Internet advertisement.
- Do not download software directly from email messages, or from companies or web sites you do not recognize and trust.
- Watch out for non-secure web pages that ask for sensitive information (secure sites will typically display a lock in the tool bar at the bottom of your browser window or they will display https:// at the beginning of the web address).
- Be suspicious of any email that urgently requests personal information and/or indicates a problem with your bank account(s).
- Only provide personal information if you initiate the sign on process.
- Do not use links in an email to access a web page if you suspect the message may not be authentic.
- Be cautious when opening attachments or downloading files from emails.
- Do not open emails from an unknown source.
- Always use a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via a web browser. To verify the web site is secure, check the beginning of the web address in your browsers address bar—it should be https:// rather than http:// and also look for the closed lock in the tool bar on the bottom of the page.
What is Pharming?
Pharming is a scamming practice in which malicious code is installed on a personal computer or server, misdirecting users to fraudulent Web sites without their knowledge or consent. Pharming has been called "phishing without a lure." Pharming, like phishing, seeks to obtain personal information. But in pharming, larger numbers of computer users can be victimized because it is not necessary to target individuals one by one and no conscious action is required on the part of the victim. In one form of pharming attack, code sent in an e-mail modifies local host files on a personal computer. A computer with a compromised host file will go to the fake Web site even if a user types in the correct Internet address or clicks on an affected bookmark entry. Your browser will show you that you are at the correct site. This makes pharming much more difficult to detect.
Some spyware removal programs can correct the corruption, but it frequently recurs unless the user changes browsing habits.
IDENTITY THEFT
What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information (such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other identifying information) without your permission with the intent to commit fraud. Often identity thieves will use another individual’s personal information to fraudulently open new credit card accounts, open bank accounts or obtain new loans. They may obtain personal identifying information by many means, including:
- Stealing wallets that contain personal identifying information,
- Stealing bank statements from the mail,
- Rummaging through trash, or
- Intercepting or otherwise obtaining information transmitted or stored electronically.
How do I Detect Identity Theft?
Keep track of transactions on your Classic Bank accounts by logging into NetTeller Internet Banking, where you can view transaction activity as it occurs throughout the day.
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. You may obtain your free credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling the Central Source at 1-877-322-8228.
If you have already received your free credit report within the last 12 months, you can contact one of the three nationwide credit bureaus and order a copy for a fee.
Your credit report contains information on where you live and work, accounts opened in your name, how you pay your bills, whether a judgment has been filed against you, and whether you have filed for bankruptcy.
How do I Avoid Identity Theft?
- Protect your Personal Information
- Do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
- Do not have personal identifying information such as your Social Security number and driver’s license number printed on your checks.
- Keep your unused and cancelled checks in a safe place.
- Do not leave your purse, wallet, checkbook, or any other forms of identification in your car.
- Never use your Social Security number as a username or password.
- Shred any documents containing banking or credit information, or any personal identifying information, especially pre-approved credit offers, before you throw them away.
- Keep your PINs and passwords a secret. Do not write them down or share them with anyone.
- Do not place your bill payments in your residential mail box; take them to the U.S. Post Office or place them in a blue U.S. Postal Service collection box;or use our free on-line Bill Pay to pay your bills electronically.
What if I am a Victim of Identity Theft?
If you know or suspect that you are a victim of fraud you should:
- Contact the three main credit bureaus listed above and have them place a “fraud alert” on your credit file. This alert requires creditors to verify your identity before opening any new accounts in your name or changing any existing accounts.
- Request a copy of your credit report. Credit bureaus must provide victims of identity theft a free copy of their credit report. Review them carefully to see if any fraudulent accounts have been opened. If so, contact the credit bureau and companies immediately to notify them of the fraud. Once a dispute has been resolved, the credit bureaus that you notified will send you another copy of your report to review. Review your credit report carefully to make sure that all fraudulent activity has stopped and your file has been corrected.
- Contact other creditors (banks, credit card companies, utility companies) to notify them of potential fraud. Always follow up telephone conversations with a letter.
- Close any account that has been breached and open a new account .
- Contact your local police department or sheriff’s office. A police report will assist you when dealing with creditors, who may require proof of criminal activity.
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission: www.consumer.gov/idtheft or 1-877-ID THEFT
- Other agencies that you may contact if you are a victim of identity theft are:
- Social Security Fraud Hotline: 1-800-269-0271
- Postal Inspection Service: www.usps.com
- Department of Motor Vehicles: www.dmv.org
MALWARE
What is Malware?
Malware is a broad category of software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system. Types of malware include spyware, adware, Trojan horses, Worms, and true viruses.
- Spyware, a type of malware, is any technology that collects personal information about the user of a computer without his or her informed consent. It is a software designed to infiltrate and intentionally or otherwise damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. Spyware utilizes a range of techniques in order to record personal information, including logging keystrokes, recording Internet web browsing history, and scanning documents on the computer's hard disk. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.
- A computer virus is a self-replicating computer program written to alter the way a computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user. Though the term is commonly used to refer to a range of malware, a true virus must replicate itself, and must execute itself. The latter criteria are often met by a virus which replaces existing executable files with a virus-infected copy. While viruses can be intentionally destructive—destroying data, for example—some viruses are benign or merely annoying.
- A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other systems and it may do so without any user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms always harm the network (if only by consuming bandwidth), whereas viruses always infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer. Email Worms spread via email messages. Typically the worm will arrive as email, where the message body or attachment contains the worm code, but it may also link to code on an external website.
- Adware is software designed to serve advertising and is usually thought of as spyware because it almost invariably includes components for tracking and reporting user information. However, marketing firms object to having their products called "spyware." As a result, some Internet security providers now refer to such applications as "potentially unwanted programs."
How do I Avoid Malware?
- Use updated anti-spyware and anti-virus software to help guard yourself against these types of email fraud.
- Do not open emails from unknown sources.
- Do not download software directly from email messages, or from companies or web sites you do not recognize and trust.
- Do not use links in an email to access a web page if you suspect the message may not be authentic.
- Be cautious when opening attachments or downloading files from emails.
OTHER TYPES OF FINANCIAL FRAUD
Advanced Fee Fund Scam, Nigerian Letter “419” Scam, or Third Party Receiver of Funds Scam
Each of the scams listed above all share a common thread. The proposals are unsolicited, emphasize the urgency and confidentiality of the deal, and require the victim to pay various government and legal fees and taxes before receiving what turns out to be nonexistent money.
Recommendations to avoid such scams:
- If the “opportunity” appears too good to be true, it probably is.
- Do not reply to emails asking for personal banking information.
- Be wary of individuals representing themselves as foreign government officials or a relative of a king or prince.
- Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of your own country.
- Beware when asked to assist in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
- Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.
- Do not agree to accept and wire payments for auctions that you did not post.
- Guard your account information carefully.
- Be cautious when additional fees are requested to further the transaction.
FAKE CHECKS
Click here for more information on fake checks.
ATM AND CHECK CARD SAFETY
Report Lost or Stolen Visa Check Card
Report your lost or stolen Classic Bank Visa © Check Card immediately by calling 254-697-6461 or 800-789-6461 during bank business hours. Lost or stolen cards can be reported 24/7 by calling 1-800-236-2442.
Check Card PIN Safety Tips
- Memorize your PIN; do not write it on your card.
- Keep your PIN a secret.
- Do not disclose information about your card over the internet.
- Never disclose information about your card in response to an unsolicited email or request.
- Make sure all web sites are secure before entering personal information.
- Protect your card’s magnetic stripe. Do not expose to magnetic objects.
- Report a lost or stolen card immediately.
- Review your account statements monthly for unauthorized transactions.
ATM Safety Tips
- Always observe the ATM surroundings before conducting a transaction.
- Do not use an ATM if it is obstructed from your view or poorly lit.
- Take another person with you when using an ATM at night.
- Watch for shoulder surfers and block the view of others when entering your PIN.
- If you see anything or anyone suspicious, cancel your transaction and leave the area at once.
- Look for possible fraudulent devices attached to the ATM. Do not use if the ATM appears to be altered or have attachments.
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