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Security
At Sunshine State Federal, we take Internet security seriously.
We value the relationships we have built with you and your
family and hope that you never become the victim of Cyber-Fraud
or Identity Theft. But, because Cyber-Fraud and Identity Theft
are such fast-growing crimes, we want you to be aware of the
basic precautions you can take to protect yourself.
On-Line Fraud Is Growing
Internet fraud can be any type of scheme that uses the
Internet—chat rooms, email, message boards or websites—to
deceive prospective victims. These schemes, scams and frauds
take advantage of the Internet’s unique capabilities—sending
email messages worldwide in seconds or posting website
information that is readily accessible from anywhere in the
world — to carry out fraud quicker than ever possible in the
past.
As a bank customer, you need to be especially vigilant to
some of the newer frauds at work in cyberspace.
Phishing
Fraudulent emails, appearing to be from a trusted source such as
your bank, or a government agency, direct you to websites. Once
there, you are asked to verify personal information such as
name, account and credit card numbers and passwords. These sites
are often designed to look exactly like the site they are
imitating.
CYBER-DEFENSE TACTICS:
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If you receive an email that warns you,
with little or no notice, that your account will be shut
down unless you reconfirm certain information, do not click
on the email link. Instead, use a phone number or enter the
web address yourself. Clicking on a link that looks
legitimate may in fact direct you to a fraudulent website
where crooks will steal your personal information. Remember,
your bank or a government agency will never send you an
alert asking you to disclose your personal information.
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Before submitting any financial
information to a legitimate website, look for the “lock”
icon on the browser status bar, or look for “https” in the
web address. Both are indications that the information is
secure and encrypted during transmission.
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Report suspicious activity to the FTC
(see resources section of this page).
Spoofing
Web spoofing allows an attacker to create a “shadow copy” of
any legitimate website. Access to the shadow web is funneled
through the attacker’s machine, allowing the attacker to monitor
all of the victim’s activities, including any passwords or
account numbers the victim enters. The attacker can also cause
false or misleading data to be sent to web servers in the
victim’s name, or to the victim in the name of any web server.
In spoofing, an attacker gains unauthorized access to a computer
or a network by making it appear that a malicious message has
come from a trusted machine by “spoofing” the address of that
machine. Phishing and spoofing often go hand-in hand in Internet
fraud.
CYBER-DEFENSE TACTICS:
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Be wary of unsolicited or unexpected
emails from all sources.
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If an unsolicited email arrives, treat
it as you would a phishing source.
Identity Theft Frauds
Internet fraudsters often use identity theft as a starting point
for larger crimes. In one case, criminals obtained the names and
social security numbers of military personnel then used them to
apply to a bank over the Internet for credit cards. In another
case, stolen personal data was used to submit car loan
applications online.
CYBER-DEFENSE TACTICS:
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Keep a close eye on your account
activity at your bank, either through statements or using
their online services. Report anything that looks
suspicious.
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Your personal information can be
obtained by “phishing,” “spoofing,” or the old fashioned way
—dumpster diving. Make sure your unused checks, bills, and
statements are shredded before discarding.
General Tips Against Cyber-Fraud
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Don’t Judge By Initial Appearances. Just
because something appears on the Internet—no matter how
impressive or professional the website looks—doesn’t mean
it’s real. The ready availability of software that allows
anyone, at minimal cost, to set up a professional-looking
website means that criminals can make their websites look as
impressive as those of legitimate businesses, banks or
government agencies.
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Be Careful About Giving Out Personal
Data Online. If you receive emails from someone you don’t
know asking for personal data—don’t send the data without
knowing more about who’s asking. While secure transactions
with known ecommerce sites should be safe, especially if you
use a credit card, non-secure messages to both known and
unknown recipients are not safe.
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Be Especially Wary Of Emails Concealing
Their True Identity. If someone sends you an email using a
mail header that has no useful identifying data (e.g.,
W6T7S8@provider.com), that may be an indication that the
person is hiding something and is not legitimate.
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Review Credit Card and Account
Statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether
there are any unauthorized charges or suspicious
charges/transactions. If your statement is late by more than
a few days, call your Credit Card Company or bank to confirm
your billing address/account balances, and determine whether
they have mailed your statement.
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Watch Out For “Advance-Fee” Demands.
Look carefully at any online seller of goods or services
that wants you to send checks or money orders immediately to
a post office box before you receive the goods or services
you’ve been promised.
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Use Anti-Virus Software and keep it up
to date. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm
your computer or track your activities on the Internet
without your knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall
can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted
files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications for
troublesome files. Look for anti-virus software that
recognizes current viruses as well as older ones; that can
effectively reverse the damage; and that updates
automatically.
A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and
blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It’s
especially important to run a firewall if you have a
broadband connection. Finally, your operating system (like
Windows or Linux) may offer free software “patches” to close
holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
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Use Common Sense.
Consumer Resources
The Internet is a great tool...for information, and to
conduct on-line business, as long as consumers take
appropriate precautions and are aware of the possibility
that someone may be trying to scam them. If it seems
too good to be true, it probably is. The consumer
information links below exist to assist customers in
locating information and providing guidance on how to file
complaints when appropriate.
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Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center
www.ftc.gov
You can file a complaint with the FTC against a company or
organization that you believe has cheated
you by contacting the Consumer Response Center by phone:
toll free 877-FTCHELP (382-4357) –
TTY: 202-326-2502.
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Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
www.ic3.gov
The IC3’s mission is to combat fraud committed over the
Internet through a unique partnership between the National
White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI). The IFCC website allows consumers to
report Internet fraud, among other services.
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Department of Justice
www.usdoj.gov
Department of Justice Homepage.
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FirstGov (Your First Click to the U.S. Government)
www.firstgov.gov
“FirstGov” is a free-access website designed to give a
centralized place to find information from
local, state, and U.S. Government Agency websites. Consumers
may call the toll-free number at
1-800-FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636).
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Consumer.gov
www.consumer.gov
“Consumer.gov” is a “one-stop” link to a broad range of
federal information resources available online.
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Social Security Administration
www.ssa.gov
Report Fraud: 800-269-0271
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Identity Theft Resource Center
www.idtheftcenter.org
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