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Security Security is a very important issue for all of us here at County Bank and customer education is also important. Today’s security issues can be both challenging and frightening at times. We have included the following information for you to get a better understanding of some of the security issues that we all face from day to day. IMPORTANT HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION
Washington, D.C. (September 1, 2010)—September is National Preparedness Month, and with the onset of the Atlantic hurricane season, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and County Bank have some tips to help individuals put their financial documents in order to prepare for a hurricane or other natural disaster.
“While the first priority is the physical safety and well-being of you and your family, knowing that your banking and financial papers are safe gives you one less thing to worry about during times of duress,” said Jim MacPhee, ICBA chairman and CEO of Kalamazoo County State Bank in Kalamazoo, Mich. “Storms like Hurricane Earl are reminders that everyone needs to prepare ahead of time for a possible natural disaster. Having a financial preparedness plan will protect you and your family from the long-term effects hurricane or flood damage may cause to your financial documents.”
ICBA and County Bank offer the following tips to help consumers prepare before an emergency occurs:
· Keep marriage and family records, including adoption papers, property deeds, birth certificates, wills, insurance policies, passports, Social Security cards, immunization records, credit card account numbers, car titles or lease contracts, bank and investment account numbers and three years of tax returns in a bank safe-deposit box. Put each of these documents in a sealed plastic bag to keep out moisture. · Make and safeguard additional official copies of critical documents such as birth certificates, adoption papers, marriage certificates and the deed to your home for safekeeping and notify a trustee, close relative or attorney where your important financial information is located. · Keep names and contact numbers for executors, trustees and guardians in a safe place, either in your safe deposit box or with a close relative. · Take an inventory and keep a list of household valuables. Taking photographs of these items can help as well. · Start and regularly contribute to an emergency fund that can cover at least three to four months of expenses. This fund should be separate from your savings or investment account. · Include extra cash in your home emergency kit, which should include a three-day supply of water, food, a first aid kit, can opener, flashlights, radio and extra batteries. · Identify the records that you keep only on computer. They may not be available if electrical power fails, so make a printout and safeguard them or back them up to an external device or web storage facility · The web can serve as a supplement or back up to paper copies. Scanned or other electronic documents can be attached to e-mails and stored in your e-mail account or with secure online back-up services. · If you feel flood insurance may be necessary to protect your home, start shopping around. Contact your insurance agent or visit FEMA’s website at http://www.fema.gov for more information.
“If you have any questions about how to better prepare for a natural disaster, please ask us,” said Dave Gillan, Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of County Bank. “We are here to help you better understand how to organize your finances, important documents and valuables before a crisis strikes.”
For more information and resources, including a copy of an Emergency Financial Preparedness Guide, visit the consumer education and resources section of www.icba.org. For additional information about National Preparedness Month, visit www.ready.gov/america/npm10/index.html.
Important NACHA Phishing Alert On 11/12/09, a NACHA Member Communication informed members that NACHA is being targeted in a phishing e-mail which contains a link to a Jabber/Zeus Trojan malware download. This malware can steal login credentials and can lead to an account compromise. If your institution or customers receive this e-mail, DO NOT click on the link! NACHA has posted an article on their home page at http://www.nacha.org. Below is an example of the phishing email: = = = = = Sample E-mail = = = = = = From: nacha.org [mailto:report@nacha.org] Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:25 AM To: Doe, John Subject: Rejected ACH transaction, please review the transaction report Dear
bank account holder, The ACH transaction, recently initiated from your
bank account, was rejected by the Electronic Payments Association.
Please review the transaction report by clicking the link below:
Unauthorized ACH Transaction Report (this is how the link is presented)
Sanitized link: hxxp://nacha[DOT]org[DOT]fffazsa[DOT]org[DOT]uk/ACHNetwork/Unauthorized/report[DOT]php?transaction_id=3D00149589098593&reference= = = = = = End of Sample E-mail = = = = = = Financial Institutions should communicate with customers regarding this phishing attempt, particularly commercial customers with ACH privileges.
ALERT !
E-mail Claiming to Be From the
FDIC – October 26, 2009
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. The subject line of the e-mail states: “check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage.” The e-mail tells recipients that, "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets.” The e-mail then asks recipients to “visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage” (a fraudulent link is provided). It then instructs recipients to “download and open your personal FDIC Insurance File to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage.” This e-mail and associated Web site are fraudulent. Recipients should consider the intent of this e-mail as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to on-line banking services or to conduct identity theft. The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT follow the link in the fraudulent e-mail.
LOST OR STOLEN VISA / MASTERCARD DEBIT CARDS Social Engineering (Coming Soon) Financial Information Protection
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