Dime News
FDIC Alert: Phishing / Vishing Scams
News Release - December 2008
FDIC Alert: Phishing/Vishing Scams
The FDIC recently announced a Phishing/Vishing Alert with the
intent to warn consumers about information fraud, and to help them protect
their identities. As your financial institution, Dime Bank remains committed
to safeguarding your personal information with state-of-the-art security
technology and measures.
Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to
acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit
card details, by impersonating a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication
(i.e. email or internet).
Vishing is the criminal practice of using the telephone to fraudulently
gain access to private information. Callers will often deceive receivers
with false caller identification numbers, therefore appearing to come
from legitimate sources.
Please be aware that only Dime Bank employees or representatives who
provide you with products or services are authorized to contact you. Dime
Bank does not solicit personal identification information including PIN,
password or username over the telephone or via e-mail. When customers
contact Dime Bank, we may ask for personal identifying information to
validate that you are, in fact, who you say you are.
Fraudulent e-mails and callers may incorporate aspects of high-profile
news stories and current events - bank mergers, tax season, catastrophes
- to create a sense of urgency and legitimacy for requesting information
or action. They will likely offer some incentive (often financial) or
threaten loss of some privilege (online access, social security payments)
to coerce you to follow their directions.
Fraudulent e-mails may include a link that directs the recipient to a
fraudulent or "spoofed" web site that has a similar appearance
to the financial institution's legitimate web site. Once there, users
may be prompted to provide information about online banking credentials
or other personal and confidential information that could be used to gain
unauthorized access to online banking services or perpetrate identity
theft.
Spoofed web sites may also direct the user to download software updates
or digital certificates, which may actually be malicious code or software
attempting to collect online banking credentials or other personal and
confidential information.
Consumers, businesses and financial institutions should be wary of unsolicited
e-mails or calls allegedly from financial institutions recently in the
news and take the following precautions:
· Never provide personal identifying or other sensitive information
in response to unsolicited phone calls or email
· Contact Dime Bank directly, using a known phone number or bookmarked
web link for inquiries
· Do not follow web links in unsolicited e-mails
· Do not use telephone numbers provided in unsolicited e-mail or
phone calls
· Always use current anti-virus software and ensure the virus signatures
are updated
· Ensure your computer operating system and common software applications
are up-to-date with security patches installed
· Do not open unsolicited or unexpected e-mail attachments claiming
to be from a financial institution because of the risk of malicious code
or software
For additional information about safe online banking and avoiding online
scams, visit http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/guard/.
About Dime Bank
Dime Bank is a $685 million, mutual institution that was established
in 1869 and has been committed to the needs of its neighbors and friends
for 139 years with nine branches in Connecticut and one branch in Westerly,
Rhode Island. The hallmark of the Dime is the personalized manner in which
it serves customers and supports its communities. To learn more about
Dime Bank log onto Dime-Bank.com.
Return to Dime News
|
