Customer Security and Online Theft
There is frequent news about various attempts at online theft, from emails and phone calls trying to trick you into releasing personal information or user names and passwords, to viruses (malware) that capture keystrokes.
Email attachments and fraudulent websites can download viruses, so be cautious about the email you open and the sites you visit. Please note that Heartland Bank will not ask for user names or passwords, so be especially cautious if you receive such a request.
To protect your privacy and your financial information, it is important that you always download the latest browser versions and install – and update - antivirus software on your personal and business computers. Older browser versions can’t protect against new intrusions, nor can outdated antivirus software or no virus protection at all.
While there are layers of protection in place on the bank’s end, including firewalls and data encryption, banks cannot fully protect the account if a hacker has fraudulently obtained your username and password. Heartland Bank’s systems are completely secure and tested rigorously on a regular basis against intrusion. As a result, our systems have never been hacked.
What you can do: keep your browsers and antivirus software up-to-date and check your accounts online on a daily basis.
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Fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from the FDIC are in circulation September 1, 2011 - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of fraudulent e-mails that have the appearance of being from the FDIC. The e-mails appear to be sent from various "@fdic.gov" e-mail addresses, such as "protection@fdic.gov," "admin@administration.fdic.gov," or "service@admin.fdic.gov." They have various subject lines such as "Update for your banking account," "ACH and Wire transfers disabled," and "Banking security update." The fraudulent messages state:
These e-mails and links are fraudulent and were not sent by the FDIC. Recipients should consider these e-mails an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, or to load malicious software onto end users' computers. Recipients should NOT access the link provided within the body of the e-mails and should NOT install any related files or software updates. Financial institutions and consumers should be aware that these fraudulent e-mails may be modified over time with other subject lines, sender names, and narratives. The FDIC does not directly contact bank customers, nor does the FDIC request bank customers to install software upgrades. Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents, and other fraudulent activity may be forwarded to the FDIC's Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, 3501 North Fairfax Drive, CH-11034, Arlington, Virginia 22226, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Questions related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at http://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.
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FDIC Reports Fraudulent e-Mail January 18, 2011 - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports from consumers who received an e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. The e-mail informs the recipient that "in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, federal, state and local governments…" the FDIC has withdrawn deposit insurance from the recipient's account "due to account activity that violates the Patriot Act." It further states deposit insurance will remain suspended until identity and account information can be verified using a system called "IDVerify." If consumers go to the link provided in the e-mail, it is suspected they will be asked for personal or confidential information, or malicious software may be loaded onto the recipient's computer. This e-mail is fraudulent. It was not sent by the FDIC. It is an attempt to obtain personal information from consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of the e-mail and should NOT under any circumstances provide any personal information through this media. The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the e-mails and disrupt the transmission. Until this is achieved, consumers are asked to report any similar attempts to obtain this information to the FDIC by sending information to alert@fdic.gov. |
Phishing Alert December 20, 2010 – We have been notified of a recent scam in which customers and non-customers of Heartland Bank are being sent an e-mail. The e-mail message is asking them to update their account information by providing specific credit card information via a link that will take the user to a site that is NOT Heartland Bank’s site. Heartland Bank will not ask for any personal or account information, including Social Security numbers, account numbers, security questions, PINs, email addresses or passwords via email, unsolicited phone calls or text messages. Heartland Bank takes the security of our customers' accounts and personal information very seriously. If you receive an e-mail asking you to provide personal and/or sensitive information, do not click on any link and do not send information. Even if the e-mail appears genuine – do not continue. Instead, please contact Heartland Bank Customer Care Center at 309-662-4444 or toll free at 888-897-2276 for verification before responding to any such request. Below is an example of a current phishing screen. DO NOT respond to requests such as this:
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FDIC Reports Suspicious Phone Calls September 8, 2010 – Suspicious telephone calls claiming to be from FDIC employees are being reported. These calls appear to be illegal schemes to steal money or collect sensitive personal information, such as bank account numbers. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of suspicious telephone calls where the caller claims to represent the FDIC and is calling regarding the collection of an outstanding debt. To date, the callers have alleged that the call recipient is delinquent in payment of a loan that was applied for over the Internet or made through a payday lender. The loan may or may not actually exist. The caller attempts to authenticate the claim by providing sensitive personal information, such as name, Social Security number, and date of birth, supposedly taken from the loan application. The recipient is then strongly urged to make a payment over the phone to "avoid a lawsuit and possible arrest." In some instances, the caller is said to sound aggressive and threatening. These suspicious telephone calls are fraudulent. Recipients should consider them as an attempt to steal money or collect personal identifying information. The FDIC generally does not initiate unsolicited telephone calls to consumers and is not involved with the collection of debts on behalf of operating lenders and financial institutions. If a caller demonstrates that he or she has the recipient's sensitive personal information, such as Social Security number, date of birth, and bank account numbers, the recipient may be the victim of identity theft and should review his or her credit reports for signs of possible fraud. The individual should also consider placing a "fraud alert" on his or her credit reports. This can be done by contacting one of the three consumer reporting companies listed below. Only one of the three companies needs to be contacted. That company is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of the report. TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, California 92834-6790 Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, Georgia 30374-0241 Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9554, Allen, Texas 75013 |
Notice of Fraudulent Calls to Obtain Debit Card Information September 7, 2010 – We have been notified of recent fraudulent phone calls in which customers of Heartland Bank are being asked to give out their debit card numbers. Some calls are voicemail messages; others involve person-to-person. The caller may state the customer’s debit card has been deactivated and the card number is needed to reactivate it. Heartland Bank would not request this information as we already have it. You should not provide your personal and/or banking information to any source that contacts you in this manner.
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Fraudulent Work-at-Home Funds Transfer Agent Schemes October 29, 2009 – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is warning of an increase in schemes to recruit individuals to receive and transmit unauthorized electronic funds transfers (EFTs) from deposit accounts to individuals overseas. These funds transfer agents, often referred to as "money mules," are typically solicited on the Internet by criminals who have gained unauthorized access to the online deposit account of a business or consumer. In a typical scenario, the criminal will originate unauthorized EFTs from a victim's account to a money mule's deposit account. The money mule is then instructed to quickly withdraw the funds and wire them overseas after deducting a "commission" (commonly eight to ten percent). The money mule may be an unknowing accomplice in a fraud scheme. Money mule schemes can take many different forms, but most involve receiving unauthorized EFTs into a deposit account and then withdrawing the funds or forwarding them on to another party via another EFT. The following are common scenarios:
Information, alerts, and advice for consumers can be found on the FDIC website at www.fdic.gov.
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Notice of Fraudulent Phone Calls to Obtain Bank Account Information April 10, 2009 – We have been notified of recent fraudulent phone calls in which customers of Heartland Bank are being asked for banking information. The caller is saying they represent Heartland Bank and is asking for routing and account numbers from the customer’s checking account. Please know that Heartland Bank would NOT request information in this manner, and you should NEVER provide your personal and/or banking information to any source that contacts you in this manner.
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Notice of Fraudulent Phone Calls by Caller Representing Verification Office April 10, 2009 – We have been notified of recent fraudulent phone calls in which customers of Heartland Bank are being asked for banking information. The caller is saying they represent The National Verification Office and is asking for banking information and account numbers. Customers are told Heartland Bank will follow up by mailing information to the customer. Please know that Heartland Bank would NOT request information in this manner, and you should NEVER provide your personal and/or banking information to any source that contacts you in this manner.
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Notice of Fraudulent Phone Calls March 23, 2009 – We have been notified of recent fraudulent phone calls in which customers and non-customers of Heartland Bank are being asked for banking information. The caller is saying a deposit discrepancy was found and individuals are being asked for the amount of their last deposit. Please know that Heartland Bank would NOT request information in this manner, and you should NEVER provide your personal and/or banking information to any source that contacts you in this manner.
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Phishing Alert February 26, 2009 – We have been notified of a recent scam in which customers and non-customers of Heartland Bank are being sent an e-mail. The e-mail message is asking them to update their personal information via a link that will take the user to a site that is not Heartland Bank's site. Please know that Heartland Bank will NEVER send an e-mail to you asking for your personal information. If you receive an e-mail asking you to provide personal and/or sensitive information, do not click on any link and do not send information. Even if the e-mail appears genuine - do not continue. If you have questions, please call our Customer Care Center at 309-662-4444 or toll free at 888-897-2276.
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SBA Warns of Fraudulent Attempts to Obtain Bank Account Information from Small Businesses These letters have NOT been sent by or authorized by the SBA, and all small businesses are strongly advised not to respond to them. The scheme is similar in many ways to e-mail scams often referred to as “phishing” that seek personal data and financial account information that enables another party to access and individual’s bank accounts or to engage in identity theft. The SBA is working with the SBA Office of Inspector General to investigate this matter. The Office of Inspector General asks that anyone who receives such a letter report it to the OIG Fraud Line at 800-767-0385, or e-mail at OIGHotline@sba.gov.
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New Phone Scams Hit Alabama and Virginia October 14, 2008 – Heartland Bank has been made aware of a vishing (voice phishing) scam currently affecting credit union customers in Alabama and Virginia. Phones calls are being made using a random dialer and the recording states the call is being made by a local bank notifying the cardholder their card has been deactivated and they will need to input the card information in order to have it reactivated. The fraudsters do not know if the household they are calling is a customer of the bank targeted, they are counting on the volume of calls being placed to produce the desired results. They assume the odds are that they will contact some customers of the specified bank and of those customers some will enter their card information. Information at financial institutions has not been compromised and this is not a data theft. This is an attempt to contact people directly and prompt them to give their personal information. While Heartland Bank is not currently affected by this scam, we would like to take this opportunity to remind our customers that we will NEVER contact them by phone or e-mail to request personal information such as your Social Security Number, account number, or credit card number. Special Agent Harry Trombitas of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said people receiving the messages should report the information directly to the FBI at www.ic3.gov for investigation.
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