Watch Your Security!  And Don't Get Scammed!

Your PC Security is Your Responsibility!
 

The State Bank cares about you and your security and privacy.  As a member of our family please take note of the following and if you have any questions or have concerns, please feel free to contact us:

Brad Rose
Vice President
State Bank La Junta

Security Notes: 

Old Adage: "There is no such thing as a free lunch!" and "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!"
 

Nigerian Scams

Other wise known as the Inheritance or Shipper scams also the 419 scam.

You will receive an email or letter claiming that some unknown uncle, aunt, or relative has left you a lot of money
or, they buy an item from you and send you a check for lots of money, claiming a bank error.  They want you to Western Union or wire the remainder of the money back to them.

The check they send you will be: fraudulent, counterfeit, or account not on file. 

What happens:  The check will come back against you - days, weeks or months depending on the type and status of the check.  You have wired the money and the check will come back against your account - and the bank will hold you responsible for the loss.

Example of an actual email sent to a customer: 

Phishing Scams: 

    One of the more recent attacks to plague consumers are emails which come into your inbox claiming that the bank, eBay, PayPal, credit card or other secure website has lost your information and they need you to enter it back into their database.  They typically redirect you to a website which is not the actual website but is created to look just like it.  They then snatch the information you enter into the form and proceed to steal your money from you.

Check out this email (received 2 August 2005) into a bank employee's hotmail account

Tips

• Use Anti-Virus Programs, Update them daily
• Use a hardware or software firewall, update them regularly
• Keep your operating system up to date with the most recent patches

Spyware, Viruses, and Trojans:

    Spyware - programs installed on your PC which monitor your keystrokes and will often cause pop-ups to direct you to some product or website.  These can also lower the security on your browser to allow viruses and trojans to be installed.  Spyware is typically delivered via another installed program; however, they can also be installed via a "Drive-by download" from an aggressive website.

    Viruses and Trojans - Not something you want.  These will have complete control of your PC and will enable anyone to see and record everything you are doing on your PC.  They will be able to capture any and all keystrokes - including your logins and passwords to every website you visit - including our secure website.  They can also cause severe damage to your data or just destroy it.  Having a virus or trojan installed on your PC is similar to someone sitting over your shoulder; and, you will not be aware of them.  You must have anti-virus software installed to catch and destroy these.

Internet and Postal Money Orders Fraud

    Our bank has seen several fraudulent Postal Money Orders and International Money Orders presented to the bank.  Be aware that there are many individuals and organizations out there looking to steal your money.  The money orders which are being created are often very high quality and are difficult to detect.

More information on Internet Fraud:

    US Dept of Justice - major types of internet fraud
    Tips for identifying fraudulent Postal Money Orders

    Federal Trade Commission on "Phishing"


More information from the FDIC on security.