IDENTIFYING THE MOST COMMON ONLINE THREATS

Understanding what criminals are trying to do over the Internet is the first step in building a good defense.
Most electronic fraud falls into several categories. Experts advise: understand these to understand how best to protect yourself.

• PHISHING
  Fraudulent emails purporting to be from your bank or a similar trusted source lures you to a copycat website (one that may look just like your bank’s site). Once there you are instructed to “verify” certain personal information, which is then used to hijack your accounts and your identity. If you receive a suspicious email, delete the message and call your bank to inform them of the email.
• SMISHING
  Leading security experts have identified a new form of phishing called SmiShing or SMiShing. Short for SMSPhishing, it's the newest way thieves are harvesting information. It's also quite simple: victims receive a text message on their cell phone---ostensibly from a valid company, which seek to obtain personal information that they can use in a fraudulent manner.
• PHARMING
  Also called “domain spoofing,” this cyber crime intercepts Internet traffic and re-routes it to a fraudulent site. Once there, the victim is asked to enter personal information, just as with Phishing.
• MALWARE
  This is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s knowledge. Examples of malware (malicious software) include computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and adware.

Learning More

Drop by the bank anytime to learn more about online banking and the security measures that are in place for your protection. Or contact any of these financial industry regulators.

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  http://www.fdic.gov
• Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
  http://www.federalreserve.gov
• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
  http://www.occ.treas.gov
• Office of Thrift Supervision
  http://www.ots.treas.gov
• Federal Trade Commission
  http://www.ftc.gov