We want to alert you to
suspicious telephone calls and e-mails that are taking place in
many parts of the country, so that you are able to recognize and
help us safeguard your personal banking information.
Generally these fraudulent requests urge you to provide your ATM
or Debit card number along with the Personal Identification
Number (PIN) that you would usually use at an ATM. These
requests falsely state that you will be "locked out" of or
"suspended" from your account with us or a merchant with whom
you do business if you do not act quickly.
Individuals that respond to these telephone calls and e-mails
generally find that unauthorized ATM withdrawals are made from
their accounts shortly after providing this information.
What We Are Asking You To Do:
Never give out your personal financial information in response
to an unsolicited phone call, fax, or email, no matter how
official it may seem.
Do not respond to requests that may warn of dire consequences
unless you validate your information immediately. Contact your
bank to confirm the e-mail's validity using a telephone number
you know to be genuine.
Check your bank account and credit card statements regularly and
look for unauthorized transactions, even small ones. Some
thieves hope small transactions will go unnoticed. Please report
discrepancies immediately.
Your Role in Security:
You have an important role in providing for your online
security. Below are some industry standard steps on enhancing
your online security that you should take:
Encryption
Check to see that you use a current version of a browser with
128 bit encryption. Encryption helps to protect information by
scrambling it so that it cannot be read by anyone else. Upgrade
your software to the most recent version.
You should also disable any auto-complete features that your
browser may be set to. This will prevent the browser software
from automatically completing personal information after one or
two keystrokes.
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Other Steps You Should Take:
Do not reveal your account number, social security number, ATM
or DEBIT card number, PIN, or online banking customer
I.D./Password to anyone; especially to unsolicited e-mails or
phone calls. Your password will not be secure if you share it
with others. Change it immediately if you think it has been
obtained by someone else.
Sanderson State Bank employees will not e-mail you asking for
personal information. If someone from the bank calls, use Caller
I.D. to verify that the call is from the bank or ask to call
them back at Sanderson State Bank at (432) 345-2511.
Use strong passwords. It is best to memorize your passwords and
not write them down. Pick a password that would be difficult for
someone to guess, avoiding names, common words, and numbers such
as your address. A good way to pick a strong password that is
easy to remember is to pick a favorite song or verse and use the
first letter of each of the first few words in the song or
verse. For example, using “My heroes have always been cowboys”
would be a password of Mhhabc. Using this method of choosing a
password makes it easier to remember, yet more difficult for
someone to guess – note that a combination of upper case and
lower case letters are used. Including numbers in the password
would also enhance the strength of your password. Remember that
longer passwords are more secure than shorter passwords.
Do not leave your computer unattended if you are in the middle
of an online banking session. Always sign off and close the
browser before visiting other sites on the Internet or leaving
the computer.
Clear your browser cache in order to eliminate copies of web
pages that have been stored on your hard drive. How you clear
your cache will depend on the browser and version you have. This
function is generally found in the browser's 'Tools' menu.
Use up to date anti-virus software on the computer where you
access your online banking. Twp popular antivirus software
vendors are Symantec and McAfee. McAfee offers a free virus scan
that you can perform online
Install and use a personal firewall to prevent unauthorized
access to the computer where you access online banking. The
firewall in Windows XP, or from a trusted third party such as
Symantec or McAfee should used.
Use a free anti-spyware program such as Ad-Aware, SpyBot Search
& Destroy or SpyWare Blaster. Anti-spyware helps detect and
remove software on your computer that may log and send your
personal information (such as passwords and account information)
to a third party).
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Update your computer with the latest security patches from your
software vendor to keep your computer secure.
Be suspicious of e-mails, phone calls, or letters requesting
personal information. Do not disclose personal information such
as your social security number, bank account numbers, credit or
debit card numbers, passwords, or other highly sensitive
information. Sanderson State Bank employees will not call you
and ask for this information. If someone from the bank calls,
ask to call them back at the bank at (432) 345-25Sanderson.
Use caution when opening e-mails. Emails can contain viruses. Be
especially wary of e-mails describing certain steps for you to
perform on your computer to remove a virus – most of these are
hoaxes that actually end up having you delete critical files on
your computer.
Look out for suspicious websites. Leave websites that appear
suspicious or seem to take control of your computer by popping
up multiple windows or starting your e-mail function without
interaction from you. If necessary, turn your computer off or
disconnect your modem connection if you are unable to break out
of the site and are concerned about the security of a site.
Destroy documents, preferably with a cross-cut shredder, that
have personal identification information before disposing them.
Items with your name, account number, or other information could
be pulled from the garbage and used to perpetrate identity theft
against you.
Should you receive a phone call that you believe is from someone
trying to perpetrate a fraud, hang up and wait ten seconds, then
pick up the phone press *57 (or dial 1157 on a rotary phone).
The last number that called you will be traced (it won't work if
Call Waiting is triggered in the meantime). After you initiate
Call Trace, a recording will let you know whether the trace is
successful and provide an 800 number you can call to take legal
action. Write down the time and date of the call to match up
with phone records. The traced number can then be given to a law
enforcement agency and the telephone company’s security
department. You may need to sign up with the telephone company
to make Call Trace available on your line. The phone company may
charge a fee for this service.
Check your bank statement promptly each month.
Report quickly to the bank if you believe that
someone is trying to commit fraud involving your account. Save
any e-mails you receive purporting to be from the bank.
If you think someone has obtained your private information,
here's what to do now:
- Contact Sanderson State
immediately at 888-345-2511.
- Place a fraud alert on
your credit report with the three major credit bureaus. Also
request to review your credit reports for suspicious
activity at that time.
- Equifax: 1-888-766-0008
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742
- Trans Union:
1-800-680-7289
- Close the accounts that
you know or believe have been tampered with or opened
fraudulently.
- File a complaint with the
Federal Trade Commission (http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/).
- File a report with local
police.
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