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Every Internet user should know
about spoof (a.k.a. phishing or hoax) e-mails that appear to be from a
well-known company but can put you at risk.
Although they can be difficult to spot, they generally ask you to click a
link back to a spoof web site
and provide, update or confirm sensitive personal information. To bait you,
they may allude to an urgent or threatening condition concerning your account
What Spoof E-mails Are After
- Password or PIN
- Credit Card Validation (CCV) Code
- ATM/Debit or Credit Card number
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Bank Account Number
Even if you don't provide what
they ask for, simply clicking the link could subject you to background
installations of key logging
software or viruses.
Security
Tip: NEVER click on a link contained in a suspicious e-mail.
Spot A Spoof
Although there’s no foolproof
formula for spotting a spoof e-mail or web site, these signs should arouse your
suspicion:
Signs Of A Spoof E-mail
- There may be a sense
of urgency. Example: Your
account will be closed or temporarily suspended. You’ll be charged a fee if you don’t
respond.
- There are embedded links
that look legitimate because they contain all of part of a real
company’s name. These links may
take you to spoof sites (or pop up windows) that ask you to enter,
confirm, or update sensitive personal information.
- There may be obvious spelling
errors. These help spoof
e-mails avoid the spam filters that ISP’s use.
- Spoof web sites can be more difficult to detect, because even
the address bar and padlock that appear in your browser window can be
faked. To make sure you’re on a
safe website, type in the root address (Ex. www.bloombank.com) to see if
you get to the same place.
Protect Your Account
Educating yourself is the first
step.
What You Can Do
- Don’t click on links
in unsolicited e-mails, especially those asking for personal
information. Even if you don’t
supply it, just clicking can enable thieves to access your computer,
record your keystrokes (key logging), and capture passwords you use to
log on at various websites.
-
Go directly there. The best way to get to any site is to
type its address (URL) into your browser and then bookmark it.
- Change Your Password and
PINs Frequently. Every 30-60
Days is recommended.
- Keep Your Operating
System and Browser Up-To-Date.
Software updates often
include security enhancements that you can usually download free from
www.netscape.com or www.microsoft.com, for example, Microsoft’s site can
even scan your computer and make sure that your software is up-to-date.
- Check your account
frequently. With eBanking and
EVE, our Touch Tone Teller, you can monitor you account transactions
immediately without waiting for your monthly statement.
- If you do not
recognize a transaction or suspect fraudulent activity on your
account, call (800) 319-6110 immediately.
Other Security Tips
-
Create hard-to-guess passwords. Use at
least six characters and a mix or letters and numbers. Don’t use all of part of your User ID
or e-mail address, or the names of your children, spouse or pet. And use a different password for each
of your online accounts.
- Protect your
identity. Don’t carry your
Social Security card, Passport, or birth certificate – or those of your
children – unless you need them that day.
- Destroy all
pre-approved credit offers that you don’t respond to.
- Make sure your home
computer has the most current anti-virus software. Anti-virus software needs frequent
updates to guard against new viruses.
Make sure you download updates as soon as you’re notified that
they’re available.
- Install a personal
firewall to help prevent unauthorized access to your home computer. This is
especially important if you connect to the Internet via a cable modem or
a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem.
- Stay Aware. Visit
bloombank.com/alert for
information on scams and fraud attempts.
What we WILL NOT do
- We will NOT send
urgent or time sensitive emails.
- We will NOT send
emails asking you to provide, update, or confirm sensitive data.
- We will NOT send
emails asking for personal information for your own security.
- We will NOT
require you to enter anything other than your User ID and Password to
sign on to our eServices.
Report A Spoof
If you suspect that you’ve
received a fraudulent e-mail, please forward it to us immediately at:
alert@bloombank.com
Note: Don’t change or retype the
subject line – this allows us to have the ability to properly investigate
it. After forwarding the e-mail to us,
you should delete it from your inbox.
You may also want to forward to
the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) at:
Spam@uce.gov
Or contact them at:
consumer.gov/idtheft
1-877-IDTHEFT
Definitions
Spoof web
site - spoof website is
one that mimics a popular company's website to lure you into disclosing
confidential information. To make spoof sites seem legitimate, thieves use
the names, logos, graphics and even code of the real company's site.
They can even fake the URL that appears in the
address field at the top of your browser window and the padlock that appears
in the lower right corner. The links in the spoof e-mails almost always
take you to a spoof web site.
Key Logging - This is another method used to capture your personal
information. Here's how it works. You click on a link to a website or open an
attachment that secretly installs software on your computer.
Once installed, it records everything you type,
including any User IDs, Passwords and account or personal information.
Thieves know how to retrieve this information, or even set it up to
automatically have it sent back to them! This is a very real risk when using
public or shared computers such as those in Internet cafes.
v2005.03.04
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