Please be aware. Fraudulent emails appearing to be from reputable companies and businesses or government agencies are still on the rise. The Internet scam known as "phishing" is an attempt to obtain your personal financial information. In a phishing scam, you may be warned of a serious problem that requires immediate attention or be redirected to a phony website that looks exactly like the real thing.
Likewise, in another scam known as "vishing", crooks use the comfort of your telephone to claim to be with a legitimate financial institution or other entity. These thieves ask consumers to "reactivate" their online banking account, or "verify" or "resubmit" personal information. Here are some common characteristics of fraudulent emails and websites, as well as "vishing" telephone calls:
They often have a sense of urgency telling customers that if they fail to update, verify or confirm their personal account information, access to their accounts will be suspended.
They typically ask for personal account information such as:
- Account numbers
- Credit and check card numbers
- Social Security Numbers
- Online Banking sign in IDs and passwords
- Mother's maiden name
- Other private information
- Never reveal your PIN to anyone, including Dream First Bank employees
- Change passwords and PINs every 30 to 60 days
- Store your card number and PIN separately, and never write your PIN on your card
- Type website addresses into internet browsers instead of clicking on links in emails
- If you use Dream First Bank Online Banking, log out when finished and close your browser before leaving your computer
- Keep anti-virus software on your computers up to date
- Never leave your computer unattended during a Dream First Bank Online Banking session
- Be wary of any email asking you to log into Dream First Bank Online Banking if it does not link to the official Dream First Bank Online Banking site
- Also, be suspicious if you are asked to enter any personal identifying information into an unexpected pop-up window even if it looks official
Additional Resources
- Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft website
- Monitor your credit on the three major credit bureaus
- Equifax 1.800.525.6285
- Experian 1.888.397.3742
- TransUnion 1.800.680.7289
You can request a copy of all three credit reports (free every 12 months) from AnnualCreditReport.com. Please feel free to give us a call at 888.773.3184 if you have any questions regarding emails or phone calls soliciting information about your Dream First Bank account(s).