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How
to Identify Online Fraud
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It's often difficult to tell if an email is legitimate. Scammers
have become increasingly sophisticated in creating fraudulent emails
and Web sites that look authentic. These emails and Web sites often
appear to be from legitimate companies and include images and logos
of these organizations. Following are some common characteristics of
fraudulent emails and Web sites:
- They
have an urgent tone.
They often have a sense of urgency telling clients that if they
fail to update, verify or confirm their personal or account
information, access to their accounts will be suspended.
- They
request your information.
They typically ask for personal or account information such as:
- Account
numbers
- Credit
and Check Card numbers
- Social
Security Numbers
- Online
Banking sign on IDs and passwords
- Mother's
maiden name
- Date
of birth
- Other
sensitive information
- They
include links that appear legitimate.
They often include links that include a legitimate company's
name or Web address. Always type Web addresses into your browser
instead of clicking on links.
- They
forge sender's email addresses.
The fraudulent emails will disguise or forge the sender's email
address so they appear to be from a legitimate company.
- They
often have incorrect grammar.
The emails and pop-up Web sites may include misspelled words and
incorrect grammar.
How Citizens Bank of
Morgantown
Helps Protect You
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We're committed to keeping your accounts safe from unauthorized access and
your identity confidential.
Citizens Bank of
Morgantown
will never
send emails asking clients to provide, update or verify their personal
or account information, such as passwords, Social Security Numbers, PINs,
credit or Check Card numbers, or other confidential information.
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How
Scammers Obtain Your Email Address
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Many scammers randomly generate email addresses - that's why you may have
received fraudulent emails that appear to be from banks you do not have an
account with. They also purchase mailing lists, obtain email addresses
online from Web pages, chat rooms, online auctions and directories or from
illegitimate sources.
Citizens Bank of
Morgantown
will never
trade, rent or sell your personal information - including email addresses
- to anyone.
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Help
Protect Yourself from Online Fraud
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There are many things you can do to help secure your identity and your
accounts. Here are some tips to follow:
- Look
beyond the logo.
To make fraudulent emails or Web sites appear real, scammers often
include actual logos and images of legitimate companies. They also
convey a sense of urgency, stating that if you fail to provide, update
or verify your personal or account information, access to your
accounts will be suspended. It's important that you look beyond the
logo and not give out your information.
- Use
your spam filter.
Many email services now have spam filters that minimize the amount of
spam you receive. The filters can help you minimize the number of
fraudulent emails in your inbox.
- Type,
don't click.
Even if you do open a suspicious email, don't click on any links. By
clicking on the links you could unknowingly download a virus or
spyware to your computer. Even if you think the email is legitimate,
type Web addresses into your browser instead of clicking on links. If
the email is from an institution you do business with, use a bookmark
that you've already created to visit the company's Web site.
- Change
your online passwords often.
The rule of thumb is to change your password every 30 to 60 days. Be
creative with your passwords - stay away from obvious passwords like
your zip code, year of birth or sensitive information such as your
mother's maiden name or your Social Security Number.
- Update
your anti-virus and anti-spam software.
By keeping anti-virus and anti-spam software up to date on your
computers, you make it more difficult for scammers to access your
personal and account information. You can purchase anti-virus and
anti-spyware software at major retail stores as well as on the Internet.
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How
to Report Online Fraud
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- If
you believe you have provided personal or account information in
response to a fraudulent email or Web site, immediately contact a
Citizens Bank of
Morgantown
representative at
304.292.8411.
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