|
Charter Oak Bank Customers
Online fraud occurs when someone poses as a legitimate company to obtain sensitive personal data and illegally conducts transactions on your existing accounts. Often called "phishing" or "spoofing," the most current methods of online fraud are fake emails, counterfeit Web sites and pop-up windows, or any combination of these.
Always keep in mind that Charter Oak Bank will never send emails that require customers to send personal information to us via email, website link or pop-up windows. Any unsolicited request for Charter Oak Bank account information you receive through emails, Web sites, or pop-up windows should be considered fraudulent and reported immediately to an Charter Oak Bank representative or your Relationship Manager.
Please be aware that fake emails will often:
- Appear to be from a legitimate source. While some emails are easy to identify as fraudulent, others may appear to be from a legitimate address and trusted online source. However, you should not rely on the name or address in the "From" field, as this is easily altered.
- Ask you for personal information. Fake emails often contain an overly generic greeting and may claim that your information has been compromised, frozen, or ask you to confirm your identity.
- Link to counterfeit or real Web sites. Fake emails may direct you to counterfeit Web sites carefully designed to look real, but which actually collect personal information for illegal use. They may also include a link to the real website in an attempt to make the link seem legitimate.
- Contain fraudulent and/or real phone numbers. Fake emails often contain telephone numbers that are tied directly to the fraud perpetrators. Never call a number featured on an email you suspect is fraudulent, and be sure to double-check any numbers you do call. Again, a legitimate number may be included in an attempt to authenticate the site.
You can protect yourself!
With a few simple steps, you can help protect your Charter Oak Bank accounts and personal information from fake emails and Web sites:
- Delete suspicious emails without opening them. If you do open a suspicious email, do not open any attachments or click on any links it may contain.
- Install and regularly update virus protection software.
- Keep your computer operating system and Web browser current
Never provide sensitive account or personal information in response to an email. If you have entered personal information or if you suspect any correspondence to be fraudulent please call Charter Oak Bank immediately at 707-265-2000.
|