| E-mail
and Web Site Fraud
In recent years, the Internet has become an appealing
place for criminals to obtain consumers’ identifying
data (such as passwords or banking information), then
use them to gain unauthorized access to financial accounts,
for identity theft, or to engage in other illegal acts.
Click a topic below to learn more.
E-mail Fraud
E-mail and web site fraud, often referred to as “phishing,”
“carding,” or “spoofing,” involves
a fraudster sending you an e-mail request that appears
to be from a business with whom you normally deal—for
example, an Internet service provider (ISP), online
payment service, or bank. The e-mail may instruct you
to "update" or "validate" your information,
including account information, Social Security number,
passwords and other sensitive information via e-mail,
or by directing you to a phony web site that looks like
the legitimate business. By complying with the e-mail
instructions, you unknowingly provide this information—not
to the legitimate company—but to the thief. The
information is then used to transfer money, make payments,
and commit other illegal acts. E-mail scams may also
carry worms or viruses that can further harm you by
dropping potentially damaging viruses onto your computer
system.
Phony Web Sites
Often used in connection with e-mail fraud schemes,
fraudsters will create a Web page or web site that is
similar to that of the legitimate company, using a URL
address that is similar to that of the reputable business.
For example, the address of the phony web site or Web
page may use a common misspelling of the company’s
name or may add a word, symbol, or number before or
after the name. Even if you do not receive an e-mail
directing you to such a site, you may accidentally mistype
the address of a legitimate site in your browser and
end up on the phony site. The fraudster’s hope
is that you will continue to conduct your online transactions
as usual, entering personal information, account numbers,
and passwords.
How to Avoid
E-mail and Web Site Scams
You can help protect yourself and your accounts by following
these guidelines:
E-mail
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The safest approach is
to immediately delete e-mail from unknown
sources, before opening the email.
-
Avoid clicking on any links
in unsolicited e-mail, particularly e-mails
that ask (either directly or by pointing to
a web site) for personal, financial, or identity
information. Instead, directly type the web site
destination into your browser or use a trusted
bookmark to verify the site or to log into
your account directly.
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Inspect the company logo,
if used in the e-mail or the linked web site,
and compare it to that used on the legitimate
web site of that company. Be suspicious of
e-mails or web sites if the logo is distorted
or looks as if it has been stretched.
-
If you receive an e-mail
that warns you, with little or no notice,
that an account of yours will be shut down
unless you reconfirm your billing information,
do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail.
Instead, contact the company cited in the
e-mail using a telephone number or web site
address you know to be genuine.
-
Avoid sending personal
and financial information over the Internet.
Before submitting financial information through
a web site, look for the padlock icon on your
browser's status bar. It signals that your
information is secure during transmission.
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Web Sites
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Bookmark trusted Internet
destinations or, if you enter the web site
address directly, recheck it to ensure you
have entered the correct address before providing
personal information on a site.
-
Be suspicious of an information-collecting
Web page that is an “orphan” page.
In other words, you cannot locate a home page
for the company, or the home page has an “under
construction” message on it.
-
Look for the presence of
an “@” symbol anywhere in the
page URL. This is usually indicative of a
fraudulent web site.
-
Ensure you know the person/entity
to whom you are giving information over the
Internet.
-
Only do business with Internet
companies that use a secure form to capture
private information. To verify your session
is secure, look for “https:” instead
of “http:” in the URL address
line, as well as the padlock icon on your
browser's status bar.
-
You should always review
credit card and bank account statements as
soon as you receive them make sure there are
no unauthorized charges. If your statement
is late by more than a couple of days, call
your credit card company or bank to confirm
your billing address and account balances.
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Reporting
Suspicious or Fraudulent Communications and Transactions
You should report suspicious activity or email communications
to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Send the actual
email you received to spam@uce.gov. ( If you believe
you've been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov,
then visit the FTC's Identity Theft Web site ftc.gov/idtheft
to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity
theft.
Reporting Suspicious
or Fraudulent Activity Involving Your First South Account
If you receive a suspicious message that appears to
be coming from First South Bank, or discover a potentially
phony First South Bank web site, please let us know
by calling 1-888-993-7664. We take
these incidents seriously and will work to investigate
them.
Links to third-party sites are provided
for your convenience. Such sites are not within our
control and may not follow the same privacy, security,
or accessibility standards as ours. The third-party
is responsible for the content and availability of its
sites, partners or advertisers.
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