Phishing – pronounced
fishing – is the latest form of identity
theft. It’s when thieves act as if they
are representing us and try to “hook” you
into providing personal information. Once you’re “hooked”,
the thieves can do serious damage to your financial
accounts. They can trick you into providing your
Social Security numbers, financial account numbers,
PIN numbers, passwords, mothers’ maiden
names, and other personal information.
How Does Phishing Work?
By E-mail:
The most common form of phishing is by e-mail.
For example, you could receive an e-mail from
Peoples State Bank & Trust, asking you to “reconfirm” your
personal information. Unfortunately, this e-mail
is not from us, but from a phisher pretending
to be a representative of our organization.
Typically, the e-mail contains a link to a website that looks like
a near-replica of our site. You click onto the link and add your personal
information, which goes right into the hands of identity thieves. It’s
important to not respond to these e-mails.
By Phone:
Phishers also use the phone to hunt for personal
information. Some, posing as employers, call
or send e-mails to people who have listed themselves
on job search websites.
While phishing scams can be sophisticated, the following features are
often indicators that something is suspicious.
Be aware of a potential scam if:
• Someone unexpectedly contacts you and
asks for your personal information, such as your
financial institution account number, an account
password or PIN number, credit card number or
Social Security number. Peoples State
Bank & Trust will not contact you for that
information.
• The sender, who is supposedly a representative
of our organization, asks you to confirm that
you have a relationship with us. We have that
information on record.
• You are warned that your account will
be shut down unless you “reconfirm” your
financial information.
For more information:
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Atlanta Regional Office
10 Tenth Street, NE, Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30309-3906
800-765-3342
The Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs
State of Georgia
2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Suite 356
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
(404) 651-8600 or
1-800-869-1123 (outside the metro Atlanta dialing area)
Other resources:
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
National Fraud Information Center
http://www.fraud.org/
Peoples State Bank & Trust is doing everything
we can to counter this type of criminal activity.
The protection of your account is our top priority.
We encourage you to learn more about internet
and other forms of fraud.
