At South Coastal Bank, every precaution is taken to protect your personal and account information. In recent months there has been an increase in unsolicited emails that try to obtain personal information by pretending to be a company you do business with. These emails, which often display the company's name and logo, can be as simple as asking you to reply back with personal information or they may redirect you to a web site that appears to be legitimate, but in fact is not affiliated with the organization being advertised.
Personal information can be used to access your accounts, open new credit cards, or assume your identity. You should never provide personal information to anyone if you are uncertain who they are or what they will do with that information.
South Coastal Bank will NEVER ask you for any private information (such as account numbers, passwords, PINs, social security numbers , etc.) for any of our products through an unsolicited email.
How to Protect Your Personal Information
- Never provide any personal information in an email, website or phone call that was unsolicited. This includes:
- South Coastal Bank account numbers or credit / debit card numbers
- Social Security Number
- Password or PIN's
- Mother's maiden name
- Change your PIN's and passwords on a frequent basis. Use passwords that are not easy to guess and contain both letters and numbers.
- Log out and close your browser after using any of our online products before leaving your computer.
- Do not leave your computer unattended when logged in to any online product.
- Do not send sensitive personal information on any site that is not encrypted. Look for a padlock symbol on the bottom bar of the browser to ensure that the site is running in secure mode BEFORE you enter sensitive information. Also, the web address will appear https:// instead of http:// if you are in secure mode.
- Review your bank statements for accuracy
- Never open unsolicited email, delete immediately and if possible report it as spam to your Internet Service Provider (like AOL, or MSN).
- Obtain and review your credit report at least once a year and immediately report any inaccuracies.
- Report any suspicious activity at once.
If you feel that you have been victimized by someone pretending to be South Coastal Bank, please contact us immediately at 781-878-5252). You should also contact your local law enforcement agency and complete a complaint form with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.IFCCFBI.gov (IFCC).
For More Information visit:
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2004/sa0504.html