Security

Phishing E-mail

Recently, there have been increased reports of "phishing," a scam perpetrated via e-mail. In these scams, the perpetrator sends e-mail to the general public posing as a legitimate company and asks you to click on a link to verify account information.

In some instances, the perpetrators have posed as financial institutions. In these scams, the perpetrator asks customers to verify their account information and other sensitive information by clicking on a link that takes them to a fraudulent website. The fraudulent web site in many cases has been designed to look identical to the actual site of a legitimate company.

Farm Bureau Bank will never ask our customers for their personal information, such as account numbers or passwords. Furthermore, we will not ask you to download software in an email. If you receive an e-mail or text from someone claiming to be Farm Bureau Bank and they are asking about your account information or other sensitive information, do not respond to the e-mail or text. In addition, do not dial a telephone number that is not listed on farmbureaubank.com.

If you have responded to such a request and provided any confidential account information, please notify Farm Bureau Bank immediately. You should also change your account's PIN (personal identification number) and/or password and take any additional action recommended by Farm Bureau Bank to protect your account.

Phishing Scam With Worm Attachment

A number of organizations have been targeted by an e-mail virus that can infect computers with a "worm" if opened. This worm had been mass-spammed to millions of e-mail boxes. The messages claim to come from familiar emails. The text of the e-mail states the recipient has been logged as a visitor to illegal websites and advises that they should open the attachment to answer some questions. Opening the attachment can infect the computer with the "Sober K" worm virus, which accounts for 65% of all viruses reported to Sophos, a global network monitoring system. Any recipient who opens the attachment risks having their computer(s) involved in a number of illegal activities, according to the FBI and CIA (Washington Post Nov. 23). Sophos analyst Graham Cluley has said one in every 74 pieces of e-mail sent over the Internet--including legitimate messages--is currently infected by the Sober K worm.

• If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, don't open it even if it looks official.
• Don't open something if it doesn't make sense or if you aren’t completely comfortable opening it.
• Don't open email attachments sent from someone you don't know.

Zip files are a key way viruses can spread. Opening a zip file may trigger an auto-execute program with preprogrammed acts, such spreading a virus through an Outlook address book or collecting data via keystrokes on the recipient's computer. Viruses can capture and send personal data, passwords, log-in names, and keystrokes made while conducting online banking transactions. Firewall's won't protect you if you open such attachments because e-mail gets through a firewall.

Consumer Warning About Phishing Scams

Phishing is a new twist on an old telemarketing scam, but uses e-mail. These criminals send e-mails to millions of people hoping that even a few will give away valuable information.

Consumer education is a powerful weapon in the fight against phishing. These criminals steal the identity of a trusted company and often threaten the consumer with dire consequences if they do not act immediately.

To avoid becoming the victim of a phishing scam, use the following tips:

• Never give out your personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited phone call, fax or email, no matter how official it may seem.
  
  
• Do not respond to email that may warn of dire consequences unless you validate your information immediately. Contact the company to confirm the email's validity using a telephone number or Web address you know to be genuine.
  
  
• Check your credit card and bank account statements regularly and look for unauthorized transactions, even small ones. Some thieves hope small transactions will go unnoticed. Report discrepancies immediately.
  
  
• When submitting financial information online, look for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your Internet browser. Most secure Internet addresses, though not all, use "https".
  
  
• Report suspicious activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.
  
  
• If you have responded to an email, contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account and your identity. For information on identity theft, visit ABA's consumer section.

For more information on phishing, visit the following: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, the National Consumers League, the OCC Consumer Protection News and the OCC Consumer Complaints and Assistance website.