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Do not respond to un-solicited e-mails from companies with which you do business requesting that you re-validate personal information or that link to Web sites requesting that you re-validate personal information. Should you receive such an e-mail, contact the company directly via phone or by typing in their home URL directly to determine the validity of the e-mail.
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Be alert for scam e-mails. They may appear to come from a trusted business or friend but are actually designed to trick you into downloading a virus or jumping to a fraudulent Web site to disclose sensitive or personal information. |
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Do not reply to any e-mail that requests your personal information. Be very suspicious of any e-mail from a business or person that asks for your password, Social Security Number or other highly sensitive or personal information.
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Never send personal information via e-mail. Regular e-mails are not encrypted and are more like sending a postcard.
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If an e-mail contains an attachment, do not open it. At SOUTHBank®, we do not include attachments in the e-mails we send to you.
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Be cautious when clicking on a link in an e-mail as it may not be trustworthy. To check the ownership of the destination page, open a browser and manually type in the URL provided in the e-mail. If you click on the link, make sure the Web address appearing in your browser after clicking on the link is related to the e-mail sender.
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Stay informed. View "Phishing" examples of recent fraudulent e-mails. |
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If e-mails or Web sites contain typographical or grammatical errors, review them carefully as these are often signs of fraud attempts to compromise your information. |
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Do not share your ID or password with anyone. |
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When your computer is not in use, shut it down or disconnect it from the Internet. |
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If you think you may have provided information to a fraud perpetrator, change your password immediately and monitor your account activity frequently.
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If you suspect the site is not what it claims to be, leave it immediately. Do not follow any of the instructions it presents.
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Only do business with the companies you know and trust.
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Be aware! Phony "look-alike" Web sites are designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information. Make sure the sites you transact business on post their privacy and security statements, and review them carefully.
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Do not provide sensitive personal or financial information unless it is encrypted on a secure Web site, and you have initiated the transaction. |
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Make sure the Web site is certified with a digital security certificate. To view, click on the closed lock or solid key image located in the bottom bar of your browser window. A small frame with site security information will appear. Click the word 'Subject' for Internet Explorer to verify you are on the correct Web site, and make sure the registered owner matches the site. To verify the site certification authority, click the 'Issuer' tab. For Netscape, click on "View Certificate" to view subject and issuer details. |
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An encrypted connection is normally indicated by an "https://" in your browser's address bar in front of the address of the page you are visiting. |
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Choose passwords or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) that are difficult for others to guess, and use a different password for each of your Internet accounts, and change them frequently. These are keys for accessing your information on our system. Please protect them. Use both letters and numbers and a combination of lower and upper case letters if the passwords are case sensitive. |
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Choose a password that is at least 6 characters, a combination of letters and numbers, and difficult to guess. Avoid using an easily guessed password such as a word found in the dictionary, your name, your significant other's name, your pet's name, or your birthday.
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Avoid writing your password in a place where others can view it.
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Do not share your ID or password with anyone. |
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Use the "LOGOUT" button to log out from a site upon completion of your transactions on the Web site and close your browser software. |
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Only provide your personal or account information online to sites you trust and where you initiated the contact. |
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When your computer is not in use, shut it down or disconnect it from the Internet. |
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Install a personal firewall to help prevent unauthorized access to your home computer, especially if you connect to the Internet via a cable modem or a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem.
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If your computer becomes infected with a virus, you could possibly lose information and incur repair expense. Make sure your computer has an anti-virus protection program installed to reduce the risk of your computer becoming infected. |
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Keep your anti-virus software up to date. Anti-virus software needs frequent updates to guard against new viruses. Download the anti-virus updates as soon as you're notified that a download is available.
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When your computer is not in use, shut it down or disconnect it from the Internet. |
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We advise not to open attachments or diskettes unless you are certain that you can trust the source. Learn how to manually screen diskettes and attachments if your anti-virus software does not automatically screen for viruses. |
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Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others. Ask about company's privacy policy: Will you have a choice about the use of your information; can you choose to have it kept confidential?
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Read the privacy policy on any website directed to children. Websites directed to children or that knowingly collect information from kids under 13 must post a notice of their information collection practices. |
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Put passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or obvious choices like a series of consecutive numbers or your hometown football team.
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Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry to what you'll actually need. Don't put all your identifying information in one holder in your purse, briefcase or backpack.
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Keep items with personal information in a safe place. When you discard receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards, credit offers you get in the mail and mailing labels from magazines, tear or shred them. That will help thwart any identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins to capture your personal information.
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Consider ordering a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) every year. Make sure it's accurate and includes only those activities you've authorized. CRAs can't charge you more than $9.00 for a copy and in some states, your credit report is free.
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Use a secure browser when shopping online to guard the security of your transactions. When submitting your purchase information, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar to be sure your information is secure during transmission.
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use anti-virus and anti-spyware products |
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Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent e-mail messages to addressees requesting them to supply confidential information. The message can be directed at a smaller number of targeted recipients, but is most often mass- mailed or “spammed” to thousands of potential victims. The e-mail is disguised to look like a request from a legitimate organization such as a thrift, a credit card company, or a retail merchant with which recipients may already have a business relationship. Often the message includes a warning regarding a problem related to the recipient’s account and requests the recipient to respond by providing specific confidential information. The format of the e-mail typically includes proprietary logos and branding, a “From” line disguised to
appear as if the message came from a legitimate sender, and a link to a website or a link to an e-mail address. All of these features are designed to assure the recipient that the e- mail is from a legitimate business source when in fact, the information submitted will be sent to the perpetrator. Victims may be directed to provide personal account information by responding to the e- mail, or they may be directed to click on a link that takes them to a legitimate looking webpage containing a form on which they are instructed to provide the information. Typically, the information requested includes items such as account numbers, passwords, PINs, Social Security numbers or other personal identifying information that will allow the perpetrator to gain access to
the victim’s accounts, steal the victim’s identity, sell the information to others seeking to do the same, or all of these. |
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Identity theft occurs when someone takes your personal information in order to steal money from your accounts, open new credit accounts, apply for loans, rent apartments or even commit crimes - using your identity. These acts can damage your credit, leave you with unwanted bills and cause a lot of aggravation. While your credit can ultimately be repaired, you may face countless hours and much frustration to clear your good name.
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http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm |
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http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm |
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Other Sources of Information
These are external web site links. Please be aware that SOUTHBank® has no responsibility for any external web site. It neither endorses the information, content, presentation, or accuracy nor makes any warranty, express or implied, regarding any external site. Refer to the external sites privacy policy before submitting any non-public personal information.
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