Criminals are conspiring every day to find ways to get your personal or bank information from you. And not just on the Internet, some may even call saying they are with the fraud department of a bank or a credit card company.

Recently, there have been several reports of customers and non-customers receiving fraudulent Emails requesting account and/or debit card information, including PINs, passwords, phone numbers and Email Addresses. NEVER give out your account information, PIN or other personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited e-mail or telephone call.

We will never call or send you an Email asking for your account information. If you get an Email do not click on the link, forward it to us and then delete it. If you receive a call, don’t provide any information, ask for their phone number, hang up and call us. Our local and toll free phone numbers are on your statements and in the phone book.

Help us safeguard your information, because here at The Honesdale National Bank, nothing is more important to us than your security and well being. We’re here to help you, any way we can.

Here is some information on Phishing Scams: Don’t Take the Bait

Internet phishing scams, like other forms of fraud, prey on the unwary.

Phishing con artists claim to be from a reputable company and send out thousands of fake e-mails and fake Web page images in hopes that consumers will respond with account information, credit card numbers, passwords or other sensitive information. This information can then be used by the thieves to order goods and services or obtain credit.

A phishing e-mail can look quite convincing, with company logos and banners copied from actual, legitimate Web sites. Often, they will tell recipients that their security procedure has changed or that they need to update (or validate) personal information and the recipients will be directed to a look-alike Web site. Phishing attempts may also try to impart a sense of urgency to get recipients to respond before thinking through the situation.

Consumers should be vigilant. For more information on phishing, visit any of the following:

FBI FRAUD ALERT Poster-
http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraud_alert.pdf

http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraud_alert.pdf Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-
http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnwin0304/phishing.html

Federal Trade Commission -http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt127.htm

Anti-Phishing Working Group - http://www.antiphishing.org

National Consumers League - http://www.phishinginfo.org/

OCC Consumer Protection News - http://www.occ.gov/Consumer/phishing.htm

Tips to Thwart Phishing

Never give out personal financial information in response to an unsolicited phone call, fax or e-mail, no matter how official it may seem.

Do not respond to e-mails that may warn of dire consequences unless you validate your information immediately. Contact the company to confirm the e-mail’s validity using a telephone number or Web address you know to be genuine.

Check your credit card and bank account statements regularly and look for unauthorized transactions, even small ones. Some thieves hope small transactions will go unnoticed. Report discrepancies immediately.

When submitting financial information online, look for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your Internet browser. Also, many secure Internet addresses, though not all use “https” to signify that your information is secure during transmission.

Report suspicious activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, http://www.ic3.gov/, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.