New scams and viruses are being developed every day. The following guidelines and information provides awareness to these threats and gives tips to prevent becoming a victim.
Personal Protection
- Personal Identifying Information
- Examples of this information is date of birth, Social Security number, credit/debit card numbers, bank account numbers, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and Passwords.
- Do not give any of this information to any person not permitted to have access to your accounts.
- Do not give any of this information out over the phone, through the mail, or online unless you have initiated the contact or know and trust the person or company to whom it is given.
- Credit, Debit, and ATM cards
- Limit the number of cards you carry in case of physical theft.
- In case of theft, alert all bank and company cards that have been stolen and close those cards.
- Cancel any cards that you do not use to prevent unnecessary risk.
- Retain all receipts from card transactions.
- Limit the number of cards you carry in case of physical theft.
- Mail
- Promptly remove mail from the mailbox.
- Outgoing mail should be handed to a postal carrier, placed in a post office collection box, or taken to the post office to minimize the risk of theft.
- Bank Account and Credit Card Statements
- Contact your financial institution immediately if a bank account or credit card statement does not arrive on time.
- Review your bank account and credit card statements regularly and report any discrepancy or unauthorized transactions.
- PINs and Passwords
- Memorize your PINs and passwords and keep them confidential.
- Change your passwords periodically.
- Avoid selecting PINs and passwords that will be easy to figure out.
- Do not carry PINs and passwords in your wallet or purse or keep them near your checkbook, credit/debit cards, or ATM cards.
Identity Theft
- Identity Theft is one of today’s fastest growing crimes. It occurs when someone steals your personal information and identification. They may open credit card accounts, apply for loans, rent apartments and purchase phone services – all in your name. In many cases, they request address changes so you never see the bills for their activity. These impersonators spend your money as quickly as possible. Most victims never know it until they apply for a loan or receive a call from a collection agency. Clearing your name and erasing the effects of identity theft can be a nightmare and take a great deal of time. You can spend months or even years re-establishing your creditworthiness.
- Tips to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft:
- Store personal information in a safe place. Shred financial statements, bank checks, credit card offers, charge receipts and credit applications before discarding them.
- Don’t release personal information. Never disclose account numbers, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers over the phone or email unless you know the person or organization you’re dealing with.
- Guard against mail theft. Deposit outgoing mail into a secure, official U.S. Postal Service collection box. Promptly remove incoming mail after it has been delivered.
- Monitor account information and billing statements. Know the billing cycles and review monthly statements for authorized charges or withdrawals. Missing statements could indicate that someone has filed a change of address notice to divert your mail to his or her address. Consider switching to electronic statements that are delivered directly to an email address that only you have access to.
- Obtain and review copies of your credit report. Order copies of your credit report yearly to review your file and make certain the information is accurate.
- Tips if you have become a victim of identity theft:
- Flag your credit reports for fraud
- Create an identity theft report
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at
- Once completed, take the completed document to the local police, or the police where the theft occurred and file a police report.
- You can also report identity theft to Kentucky’s Attorney General at
Credit Report
- Under a federal law enacted by Congress, every consumer in the United States can now obtain one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit bureaus. Previously, consumers who wanted to obtain their credit report from any of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) had to pay for each report. Only those consumers whose loan applications were rejected or who were victims of identity theft could obtain their credit reports for free.
- You can obtain your free credit reports by mail, by phone or online from a service that is run jointly by the three credit bureaus. If you order your credit report online, you must print it or save it to your computer, or it will be unavailable once you leave the screen. The free program applies only to the credit report itself. Credit scores are not included in the free credit report but they can be purchased from the credit bureaus for a fee.
- Experts strongly recommend that consumers obtain their free credit reports each year and review them for completeness and accuracy to learn about their credit, check for errors in their credit information, and detect identity theft. If something is wrong on a credit report, you can dispute it directly with the credit bureau. When a dispute is filed, the credit bureau has 45 days to respond to the consumer.
- The three credit bureaus information is as follows:
- Equifax
- Experian
- Trans Union
- You can also obtain your free credit reports at Annual Credit Report as follows:
- Online: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
- By phone: 1-877-322-8228
E-mail Scams
- Phishing
- “Phishing emails” are frequently used by criminals to entice the recipient to visit a fraudulent website where they try to convince the recipient to provide personal information, such as ATM card numbers, account numbers, Social Security numbers, access Ids and passcodes. Some of these fraudulent websites may also be virus laden and can be used to download mal-ware to your computer. Fraudulent websites often look identical to a legitimate site, so it’s important to look very closely at the website address.
- Protection Tips
- Do not click links in Emails to log in, or to update or confirm your sensitive information.
- Do not fill out forms in Emails.
- Be cautious about opening attachments or downloading files, regardless of who sent them.
- ‘Spam’, or mass email messages, often contain links to phishing websites and other unsavory websites.
- Many phishing scams originate outside of the United States. Be wary of emails from people or sources you don’t know or trust.
- Poor grammar and misspelled words from unknown sources asking you for personal information are clear warning signs of a phishing scam being operated outside of the United States.
- Legitimate companies or organizations will never ask you to divulge any personal information over email.
- Phishing emails may also be fake contests or offerings, asking you to input personal information.
- If an offer or email you receive is too good to be true, it most likely is.
Social Engineering
- Social Engineering is a technique used to obtain or attempt to obtain secure information by tricking an individual into revealing the information.
- Social engineering is normally quite successful, because most targets (or victims) want to trust people and provide as much help as possible.
- Victims of social engineering typically have no idea they have been conned out of useful information or have been tricked into performing a particular task.
- The easiest way to breach security is to obtain credentials and the easiest way to get that information is to ask someone for it.
- The basic goal of social engineering is to gain unauthorized access to systems or information in order to commit fraud, network intrusion, industrial espionage, identity theft, or simply to disrupt and compromise computer systems.
- Common Techniques
- Social Engineering by Phone – Pretexting
- Dumpster Diving
- Online Social Engineering – Phishing, Vishing, Smishing, Pharming
- Persuasion
- Reverse Social Engineering
- Shoulder Surfing – Looking over a shoulder to see what they are typing.
- And many more…
- What you should do:
- ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings
- NEVER share your username or password with anyone
- First National Bank of Brooksville will NEVER call for your username or password.
- Common Techniques
Fraud Prevention
- Electronic & Mobile Banking
- Electronic Banking
- All users should sign-off after every service session. This is to protect you in case you accidentally leave your computer unattended after you log-in.
- You should carefully select a Password that is hard to guess:
- Special characters must be used to increase security.
- Keep your Password safe.
- Memorize your Password and do NOT write it down.
- A Password should be changed immediately if you suspect that your Password has been compromised.
- Do not store password(s) within electronic files that are stored in your computer nor other storage services.
- The security of public computers (e.g. in a library, or Internet cafe) cannot be assured; therefore we recommend that you refrain from accessing the service on a public computer.
- Routinely scan your computer, servers and electronic media using a reliable virus detection product. Undetected or unrepaired viruses may corrupt and destroy your programs, files and even your hardware. Additionally, you may unintentionally transmit a virus to other computers.
- Use a firewall product (hardware and/or software), especially if you have a broadband Internet connection such as DSL or cable modem.
- Periodically update your computer operating system and browser for critical security related patches. We recommend use of the most current non-beta, fully patched, versions of Internet browsers for accessing the Service.
- Mobile Banking
- When using a mobile device to access your bank accounts via mobile banking, the following security precautions are recommended.
- Configure your phone to automatically lock after a short period of inactivity
- If your phone supports it, use a reliable virus detection product.
- Some mobile phone services can remotely erase all information on a phone if it is lost or stolen. This type of service is recommended in the event the mobile phone used for mobile banking is lost or stolen.
- Do not modify the operating system on your mobile phone (i.e. “Jailbreak” or “Root” your phone). This activity can weaken the security of your mobile phone.
- Common Scams
- Lottery Scams
- In the lottery scam, you receive an email notification claiming that you have won an international lottery (Jamaican Lottery, Spanish Lottery, etc.). To claim your winnings, you must contact the claims agent, typically via an email address that is most often from a free provider (e.g., Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.). The agent then sends you a claim form to verify your identity. You must then return the form with your personal details, along with copies of your passport and/or driver’s license to “verify your true identity.” The fraudsters now have enough information to duplicate your identity. In addition, to claim the winnings, you are required to wire funds to the fraudsters to cover the transaction, insurance, tax and legal fees associated with receiving their winnings. The victims are required to transfer the money requested via Western Union. You are now out the funds that you have wired to the fraudsters, and the fraudsters have your personal identification to continue to commit fraud.
- Nigerian Scams
- The Nigerian Purchase Scam is another form of fraud that is becoming widespread in auction sites and on business’ ecommerce Web sites. A buyer will bid on or seek to purchase big-ticket goods (e.g., cars, boats, etc.) from the Web site. The buyer will “accidentally” overpay the seller, stating they “wanted to make sure there were enough funds for shipping.” The buyer will then ask the seller to deposit the check and refund the amount of the overpayment. The seller will deposit the counterfeit check and send the overpayment to the buyer prior to the check clearing through the international banking system. The seller is out the funds equal to the overpayment. In addition, the seller could be down the value of the shipped goods if those are sent at the same time.
- To protect yourself, always be careful when transacting with unknown parties. If you question the legitimacy of a buyer, talk with your branch representative to determine the best way to validate the check and funds prior to shipping any goods or providing a refund for the overpayment.
- Mystery Shopper
- You get an email or a letter in the mail from a “mystery shopping company” often the name of the company sounds official. Usually there is a check included or a promise to send a check. They tell you to cash the check and complete an assignment at a major retail store. Then they tell you to take the rest of the money that you didn’t spend and send it to another mystery shopper via Western Union. The only problem is that’s not a mystery shopper, that’s the scammer! The check sent to you was not legitimate, but the bank won’t realize it for at least a week. When the check is returned as fraudulent, you become responsible for the charges. Meanwhile, you just sent money to the scammer via Western Union and you’re left holding the bag.
- Lottery Scams
- When using a mobile device to access your bank accounts via mobile banking, the following security precautions are recommended.
- Electronic Banking