Identity Theft Prevention

DON’T GET “HOOKED” BY PHISHING SCAM

Tips to help avoid identity theft online

“We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not improperly accessed, please click the link below to confirm your personal information.” If you ever receive a notice such as this via e-mail, do not respond!

This type of scam – called “phishing” – is designed to trick unsuspecting consumers into revealing sensitive personal data so that fraudsters can use this information for personal gain. Given the stakes involved in protecting your identity, Park Bank encourages vigilance in avoiding the pitfalls of phishing.

A typical phishing incident involves an e-mail or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with -- for example, an Internet service provider, bank, online payment service, or even a governmental agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information. Some phishing e-mails threaten dire consequences if you don’t respond. The phishing message then directs you to a website that is convincingly similar, if not identical to the supposed “source” company’s website. This bogus site was set up with the sole purpose of tricking you into divulging your personal information so that the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.

To help you protect yourself from phishing scams, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers these tips:

• If you get an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. And don’t click on the link in the message, either. Legitimate companies do not ask for this type of information via e-mail. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the e-mail using a telephone number you know to be genuine.
• Use anti-virus software and a firewall, and keep them up to date. Some phishing e-mails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge.
• Don’t e-mail personal or financial information. E-mail is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s website, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the s stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank or organization impersonated in the phishing e-mail. If you believe you have been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. While you can’t entirely control whether you will become a victim of identity theft, you can take some steps to minimize your risk. If an identity thief is opening credit accounts in your name, these new accounts are likely to show up on your credit report. You may catch an incident early if you order a free copy of your credit report periodically from any of the three major credit bureaus. See www.annualcreditreport.com for details on a free annual credit report.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer's security.

To learn more about the steps we take to protect your personal information, contact Park Bank Client Services.