Important Alert
  

CUSTOMER ALERT

 We have been informed that some Auburn Banking Company customers have been contacted either by letter or by phone regarding their checking account or their debit card.  The letter or phone call asks the customer to call a 1-800 number to obtain information regarding the fraud that has occurred on the customer’s account. THIS IS A SCAM!!!  In January many of our MasterCard Debit Cards were compromised, due to the Heartland Communications processor data breach.  Although none of our customers had fraudulent activity on their account due to this security breach, the hackers were able to obtain the cardholder name, card number, and expiration date of any ABC cardholder that used their debit card at a merchant that uses Heartland Communications to process transactions.  Although all compromised debit cards have been closed, fraudsters are “phishing” for current and accurate account information to fraudulently approve transactions through your debit card and/or checking account.  

 NEVER GIVE YOUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE
OR BY MAIL.

 Auburn Banking Company is your hometown community bank and if there is ever a question we have about your account or about debit card transactions, we will personally contact you from either our Auburn office or our Russellville office. You will never be directed by an Auburn Banking Company employee to call a random 1-800 number or to give any account information over the phone or by mail. If you have received a phone call or a letter asking you for your Auburn Banking Company account information AND you have given out your account information, please contact us immediately at 542-4185 or 725-9999.    

For more information about how you can stop Identity Theft, visit our Identity Theft Information page accessbile by clicking the box on the left hand side.

  
  
Identity Theft Information
  

 What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft is the unlawful use of another person's identification. Identity theft may take many forms. Common methods of identity theft include credit card or other financial institution fraud, phone or utility service theft, and the taking of government documents or benefits. However, thieves are finding new ways of using the identity of their victims every day. The tragic events of September 11 have helped financial institutions and federal regulators learn more about the ways in which terrorists and terrorist organizations finance their activities. Some of their methods included opening accounts and moving funds using false identities or stolen information about real account holders. One way in which our financial institutions safer is to protect your account information from thieves and unauthorized users.
 

 How Does Identity Theft Occur?

Surprising to most people is that identity theft is actually a very easy crime to commit. In fact, over 1,400 people are victimized each day. That being the case, it is important for you to know how these thieves operate so you can protect your personal information.

At the heart of the crime is the thief obtaining information that most people would assume only the true owner of the information would know. Common examples are social security numbers, driver's license numbers, mother's maiden names, and passports.

Thieves obtain this information in numerous ways. Some thieves will steal wallets, purses, and even mail. Others will listen and/or watch a person conduct personal business, such as an automated teller machine. Thieves will also deceive or trick people into disclosing personal information through phone scams, via the mail, or on the Internet.

Very aggressive thieves will even obtain personal information by using a process referred to as "pretext calling." Pretext calling occurs when an individual contacts an entity in possession of a customer's personal information and cons the entity into releasing the information by acting as the customer or someone authorized to have the customer's information.

Once a thief has possession of the information, the thief will apply for credit cards, loans, phone services, or just about any other service where economic gain can be realized without actual payment. When applying for credit cards, loans, or other services, thieves will often intentionally use incorrect addresses or complete change of address forms on existing accounts so that the victim will not be immediately aware of the crime.

 
How Does Identity Theft Affect Me? 
Identity theft can cause its victims numerous problems. Most significantly, it can destroy the financial history you have worked so hard to obtain. Repairing your credit history can require significant time and money. You may not be able to stop a thief until thousands of dollars of debt have been attributed to you.  
 
 How Can I Protect Myself From Identity Theft?

The following are just some of the ways you can reduce the risk of identity theft:

  • Keep your credit cards, debit cards, personal identification numbers (PINs) and other passwords, checks, social security cards, other cards or documents which bear your social security number, health insurance cards, driver's license and number, and other personal information where they will be safe. When disposing of these items, do so by shredding.
  • Keep your deposit and withdrawal slips, credit card purchase receipts, financial institution statements, credit card statements, utility bills, medical bills, insurance information, investment updates, and credit card solicitations where they will be safe. When disposing of them, do so by shredding.
  • Don't put your trash out until shortly before it will be picked up.
  • Mail bill payments and other items that contain personal information at a U.S. Postal Service drop box rather than in your curb side mailbox. Don't put any mail in your curb side mailbox until shortly before it will be picked up.
  • Take your mail out of your curb side mailbox as soon as possible after it has been delivered. If you are traveling, have the U.S. Postal Service hold your mail or have someone you trust pick it up daily.
  • Limit the information on your checks, and don't carry around any more cards than necessary.
  • Don't give any of your personal information in person, over the telephone, or over the Internet to anyone unless you have a very good reason to trust them.
  • Don't give any of your personal information in response to an unsolicited email claiming to be from your financial institution or some other highly credible source. This is a technique referred to as "phishing." (See more information below) Be sure to validate the request before providing the information (for example, contact the customer service telephone number on your account statement to ask about the request).
  • Don't give any of your personal information to any web sites that do not use encryption or other secure methods to protect it.
  • Use a firewall if you have a high-speed Internet connection. This software can be purchased online or from most software retailers.
  • Don't use PINs or passwords that are easy to guess (for example, don't use birth dates, or spouse, child or pet names).
  • Examine your credit card and financial institution statements immediately upon receipt to determine whether there were any unauthorized transactions. Report any that you find immediately to the financial institution.
  • Make a prompt inquiry if bills or statements are not received in a timely fashion - this could mean that they are being diverted by an identity theft.
  • Obtain copies of your credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting agencies to be sure that they are accurate.

You may also wish to do the following:

  • Request not to receive any further pre-approved offers of credit by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT.
  • Ask to be removed from national direct mailing lists by writing to:

 DMA Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 643
Carmel,  NY  10512
           or go online to http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html

 Include your name and address.
  •  Register with the National Do Not Call Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222 or going online at www.donotcall.gov. 
 What Should I Do If My Identity Has Been Stolen?
In the even that you suspect your identity has been stolen or you are, in fact, certain that it has been stolen, follow these simple steps: 
 
1.  Contact the fraud department of at least one of the following three major credit reporting agencies and ask that a fraud alert be placed in your credit file and for a free credit report ( to be on the safe side you may wish to contact all three):

EQUIFAX
1-800-525-6285 
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta,  GA  30374-0241 
 

 EXPERIAN
1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)
P.O. Box 9532
Allen,  TX  75013
 

 TRANSUNION
1-800-680-7289
Fraud Victim Assitance Division
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton,  CA  92834-6790
 

2.  Close all accounts that are or may be affected by the identity theft. Also, regarding any checking accounts thus closed, contact the following major check verification companies and ask that retailers using their databases not accept checks drawn on the closed accounts:

  • TeleCheck - 1-800-710-9898 or 1-800-927-0188
  • Certegy, Inc. - 1-800-437-5120
  • International Check Services - 1-800-631-9656
3.  File a police report and obtain a copy for submission to credit reporting agencies, creditors, and others.
 

4.  Contact the Federal Trade Commission to report the theft and obtain further guidance as to how to protect yourself:

  • Email:  www.consumer.gov/idtheft
  • Call: 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
  • Write: Identity Theft Clearinghouse
              Federal Trade Commission
          600 Pennsylvania Avenue,  NW
               Washington,  DC  20580
5.  If you know or suspect that your mail has been stolen, contact the United States Postal Service.  
 

6. Keep detailed records of any theft of your identity and of your efforts to resolve the same.

  • Log the date, time, and amount of any unauthorized activity on your accounts.
  • Log the date, time, duration, and cost of any phone calls.
  • Log the date and cost of any mailings and keep copies.
2002 Bankers Systems, Inc., St.Cloud,  MN  IDT-BRO-3  12/13/2004

  
  
Phishing Information
  

 What is Phishing?

 
Phishing is one of the latest cons used by high-tech criminals to facilitate one of America 's leading forms of fraud-identity theft. Basically, the scam uses spam (unsolicited e-mail) to bait consumers into disclosing sensitive personal information ­such as social security numbers, account and routing numbers, credit card numbers, personal identification numbers, passwords, and other private data.  
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the unsolicited e-mails give the appearance of being from legitimate businesses. In fact, fraudsters usually pick a business that the potential victim actually does business with, such as a financial institution, credit card company, or insurance company. The fraudsters tell the e-mail recipients they need to "update" or "validate" their billing information to keep their accounts active. To help set the hook, they even direct their potential victims to a web site that imitates the look of the legitimate web site-with logos, colors, and designs to match. Unwittingly, consumers then submit their information to the impostor, who then uses the personal data to commit identity theft.    
 
To avoid getting reeled into one of these scams, the FTC offers the following guidance:
 
  • If you get an e-mail that warns you­ with little or no notice-that an account of yours will be shut down or interest suspended unless you reconfirm your billing information, do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail. Instead, contact the legitimate company cited in the e-mail using a telephone number or web address you know to be genuine.
  • Avoid e-mailing personal and/ or financial information.
  • Look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar before submitting financial information through any web site. It signals that your information is secure during transmission.
  • Review credit card and account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company immediately.
  • Report suspicious activity to the FTC-­send the actual spam e-mail to uce@ftc.gov. If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, then visit the FTC's identity theft web site at www.ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft. To help fight fraud, the FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel (registered trademark) a secure, on-line database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad credit card company or financial institution to confirm your billing address and account balances.
   
Visit www.ftc.gov/spam for other ways to prevent and avoid e-mail scams and to learn how to deal with deceptive spam.
 
As your financial institution, we want to help you combat identity theft. One of the best ways to fight fraud is to educate yourself and be aware of a possible scam before it happens to you. Be cautious when providing information, and learn the steps you can take to help protect your sensitive, personal information in an attempt to stay ahead of these criminals.
 
To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll free to 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TIY: 1-866-653-4261. 
 
C 2004 Bankers Systems, Inc., St. Cloud, MN PHISH-BR02 812012004
 
 

  
  
 
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