Fraud Alerts

Our goal is to keep your customers informed about the latest and ongoing fraud and financial threats. If you are ever unsure of a phone call or piece of mail that is requesting your personal financial information, we ask that you give us a call.

We are here to help you! Continually check back for fraud alerts and latest scam information.

Online and Cyber Security - For more information, click here!

Online Account Takeover

Criminals have their eye on your financial accounts. They want access.

Call it a takeover attempt – a HOSTILE takeover.

Account takeovers happen when the wrong people dig up enough of the right private information about you to gain access to your checking or savings accounts.

Then they strike - either moving big chunks of your money at once, or small amounts a bit at a time … hoping you don’t notice.

What’s happening is a form of identity theft … because the more that bad people know about you, the easier it is for them to access your money.

We’re used to sharing a lot of information about ourselves these days –experts say we share too much – and that makes us easier targets for takeovers.

Here are some things you can do to protect personal information to help battle takeover attempts:

• Don’t fall for fake information requests. Financial institutions will never call, email or text you out of the blue asking for online banking information such as user names, passwords or pin numbers.
• Use safe passwords – the kind that mix numbers and upper and lowercase letters – and don’t write them down in places people can easily find them. Experts recommend that you don’t use the same user name and password for everything – because if someone figures one out, they have access to other types of accounts you use. It’s a smart idea to have different passwords for different types of accounts.
• Think twice about what you share on social media. Posting things like your telephone number, address, birth date and year can be used in the wrong ways to find out more about you. And don’t publicly share other information – such as your mother’s maiden name - that you might be using as answers to the ‘secret’ questions sites ask you for account verification. The less some people know about you, the better.
• Be careful when banking or making purchases from public computers – and make sure you always sign out of any account you’re using.
• You also need to stay alert … and check your financial statements regularly to make sure your money is safe.

Here are some things you can do to spot a possible takeover:

• Watch for transactions you don’t expect – such as purchases or withdrawals you didn’t make. Contact your financial institution immediately if you spot this when checking either your online or paper statements. If you have online statements, it’s wise to check them frequently.
• If a merchant says your debit card has been turned down, call the number on the back of the card to report the problem and explain what happened. This could be a sign that someone else has access to your account.
• Check your credit report regularly to look for things like unexpected loans or missed payments. You can do this for free by going to annualcreditreport.com and reading about what you can do.

Think smart and stay alert … both are great defenses against account takeovers.

Identity Theft

Don’t Fall For Tech-Support Scams

Your phone rings and the caller tells you that problems with your computer have been detected and you need to act immediately.

What should you do? Hang up, because it’s probably a scam and falling for it could cost you money or expose you to identity theft. This tech-support trick begins with an unsolicited call telling you there is a serious issue with your operating system, that your computer is infected with viruses, or that it has some other glitch. The scam could end badly with criminals getting access to your financial accounts or other sensitive personal information.

Here are some important things to know about these scams and how they could affect you:

Reputable tech-support companies don’t make unsolicited calls like this and they don’t access or scan your computer without permission.
Never let these callers talk you in to giving them remote access to your computer. They could install malware that steals sensitive data, like user names, passwords or account information.
Never give out your password over the phone. Legitimate businesses won’t ask for it. You should always keep your passwords private.
Never provide your credit card or other financial information to an unsolicited caller who claims to be from tech support. And don’t go to any website address they give you to enter any personal or banking information.

So what happens if you really do need work on your computer? Ask a friend for a recommendation or check the web for a trusted service and contact them directly. That puts you – not a phone scammer – in control.

Tips For Creating Strong Passwords

Passwords help guard your online accounts, but they are only as strong as you make them.

So to keep your sensitive accounts secure, it’s time to think about strength in numbers – that means the number of characters in your password and the number of passwords you use.

Sure, passwords like ‘123456’ or a child’s name are easy to remember, but cybercriminals are banking on you using a password that is easy to guess, or contains information that can be linked to you with a little online research, such as an address, favorite sports team, or school name.

And if you use the same password for every account, just think how easy you have made it on crooks who try to hack into your financial, email or other accounts to steal your identity, your money or other important data.

To be safe, here are some tips for creating strong passwords and protecting your accounts:

Passwords should be at least 8 characters long, and experts are recommending longer - at least 12 characters. The longer a password is, the harder it is to hack.
They should be a mix of upper and lowercase letters, and should also contain numbers and symbols. An example would be iWI$4y0uw3!!.
Passwords shouldn’t include your name or common words that can be easily guessed.
You should use different passwords for each of your important accounts. For example, don’t use the same password for your email and banking accounts. That way, if one account gets compromised your other accounts will still be safe.

When creating your strong passwords, think of a pattern than you’ll remember and then consider modifying it accordingly based on the account you are signing into.

Try something like building a password by using the first letters of words in a phrase and then logically substituting upper and lowercase letters and numbers and symbols in a pattern you will remember.

If you keep a list of your passwords as a backup in case you forget one, don’t leave it out in the open or in a place that can be easily found.

Cybersecurity is important, and your front line of defense is only as strong as the passwords you create.

Additional Customer Awareness Resources, CLICK HERE - Consumer Awareness Guide.