Protecting your privacy online
Eagle National Bank will never ask you to
verify information by e-mail. To ensure that you
do not divulge confidential information to
unauthorized individuals, we urge you not to
respond to any e-mail request that asks you to
provide your personal information.
You already know how to protect your privacy in
the real world. You don’t tell anyone your ATM
pin number. If someone calls on the phone and
asks you for your Social Security number or
credit card number, you know it’s probably a
con artist, and you hang up.
The internet is full of scams and con artists, too.
Internet scammers are very sophisticated. They
want to trick you into giving them personal
information — like your Social Security number
or bank or credit card account number. With
just a small amount of stolen information, they
can empty your bank account, run up credit
card bills or even steal your identify.
Eagle National Bank wants you to enjoy the
convenience of the Internet safely and securely.
Below are helpful hints on how
to avoid identity theft.
Safe user names and passwords
When a website asks you to create a user name and
password:
Choose words that are easy for you to remember
but hard for someone else to guess. For example,
John Smith should not use “jsmith” as a user
name or “password” as his password. Words that
combine letters and numbers are harder to guess.
Choose a different user name and password for
every site. If someone guesses your password for
one site, they won’t know it for all sites.
If your computer offers to remember your user
name and password, say no. Otherwise, anyone
who uses your computer can get your financial
information.
Watch out for phishing
Online criminals use a con game called “phishing”
(as in fishing for information) to trick people into
telling personal financial information. Phishers send
e-mails that pretend to be from financial companies
or popular websites like eBay or Paypal. Phishing
e-mails have urgent messages like “We are going to
suspend your account” or “Your account may have
been compromised.” They are written to scare you
into acting without thinking.
Phishing e-mails sometimes have a link or button
to go to a website to provide personal information.
Never click on the link provided in an e-mail, you
could be redirected to a phony website that may
look exactly like the real thing. Sometimes, in fact, it
may be the company’s actual website. In those cases,
a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose
of getting your personal information. If you provide
the requested information, you may find yourself the
victim of identity theft.
How to protect yourself
Never answer an e-mail that asks for personal
or financial information. That includes account
number, Social Security number, user name,
password, date of birth, mother’s maiden name,
etc. — any information that could help a criminal
gain access to your credit card or bank account.
Never click on a link or button in an e-mail. If
you want to go to a site, type the URL in your
browser or use a bookmark or favorite you have
already marked.
When in doubt, telephone the sender. If you think
the e-mail might be legitimate, call to check. Don’t
ever use a phone number that appears in the email,
though. Look up the number yourself.
What to do if you get phished
If you think you might have accidentally responded
to a phisher, act imediately to protect yourself:
Contact Eagle National Bank, your credit card
company and any other financial institution whose
accounts may be involved. Eagle National Bank’s
phone numbers is 610-853-4800.
Contact one of the three major credit bureaus and
place a fraud alert on your file.
Equifax 800-525-6285
Experian 888-397-3742
TransUnion 800-680-7289
If the phisher pretended to be an Internet business
such as Amazon, eBay or Paypal, contact the business.
Closely monitor all your checking and credit card
statements — not just the one that was phished.
Even if you did not respond to the phish, report
any suspicious contacts to the Federal Trade
Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or
1-877-IDTHEFT.
Remember — legitimate banks, credit card companies
and businesses will never send you an e-mail asking
for personal or financial information. If the e-mail
asks for personal information, you know it’s phishing.
