As with all financial transactions, please exercise discretion when using an automated teller machine (ATM) or night deposit facility.  For your own safety, be careful.  The following suggestions may be helpful. 

1. Prepare for your transactions at home (for instance, by filling out a deposit slip) to minimize your time at the ATM or night deposit facility.
2. Mark each transaction in your account record, but not while at the ATM or night deposit facility. Always save your ATM receipts.  Don’t leave them at the ATM or night deposit facility because they may contain important account information.
3. Compare your records with the account statements you receive.
4. Don’t lend your ATM/debit card to anyone.
5. Remember, do not leave your card at the ATM. Do not leave any documents at a night deposit facility.
6. Protect the secrecy of your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Protect your ATM/debit card as though it were cash.  Don’t tell anyone your PIN.  Don’t give anyone information regarding your ATM/debit card or PIN over the telephone.  Never enter your PIN in any ATM that does not look genuine, has been modified, has a suspicious device attached, or is operating in a suspicious manner.  Don’t write your PIN where it can be discovered.  For example, don’t keep a note of your PIN in your wallet or purse.
7. Prevent others from seeing you enter your PIN by using your body to shield their view.
8. If you lose your ATM/debit card or if it is stolen, promptly notify us. You should consult the other disclosures you have received about electronic fund transfers for additional information about what to do if your card is lost or stolen.
9. When you make a transaction, be aware of your surroundings. Look out for suspicious activity near the ATM or night deposit facility, particularly if it is after sunset.  At night, be sure that the facility (including the parking area and walkways) is well lighted.  Consider having someone accompany you when you use the facility, especially after sunset.  If you observe any problem, go to another ATM or night deposit facility.
10. Don’t accept assistance for anyone you don’t know when using an ATM or night deposit facility.
11. If you notice anything suspicious or if any other problem arises after you have begun an ATM transaction, you may want to cancel the transaction, pocket your card and leave. You might consider using another ATM or coming later.
12. Don’t display your cash; pocket it as soon as the ATM transaction is completed and count the cash later when you are in the safety of your own car, home, or other secure surroundings.
13. At a drive-up facility, make sure all the car doors are locked and all the windows are rolled up, except the driver’s window. Keep the engine running and remain alert to your surroundings.
14. We want the ATM and night deposit facility to be safe and convenient for you. Therefore, please tell us if you know of any problem with a facility.  For instance, let us know if a light is not working or there is any damage to a facility.  Please report any suspicious activity or crimes to both the operator of the facility and the local law enforcement officials immediately.

Protecting yourself against e-mail fraud

E-Mail and Internet Fraud take advantage of the Internet’s unique ability to send e-mail messages worldwide in seconds or post website information that is accessible from anywhere. E-mail and internet fraudsters carry out their scams more invisibly than ever
before, making identity theft from online scams one of the fastest growing crimes today.

You should be especially vigilant to these:

• Phishing

  Fraudulent e-mails, appearing to be from a trusted source such as your financial institution or a government agency, direct you to a website asking you to “verify” personal information. Once scammers have your information, they have the tools to
  commit account fraud using your name.

What you can do:

1. • If you receive an e-mail that tells you to confirm certain information, do not click on the e-mail link. Instead, use a phone number or website address you know to be
     legitimate.
     
   • Before submitting any financial information through a website, look for the “lock” icon on the browser status bar, or look for “https” in the web address.
     
   • Report suspicious activity.
     

• Texts, pop-ups & downloads

  Fraudsters use smartphone texts with “urgent” requests that lure the unwary into providing personal information. Website pop-ups generated by these fraudsters will often ask users to download “important” information or “free” apps—resulting in
  spyware or other viruses.
  

  What you can do:

1. • Stop and think before providing personal information via smartphone or computer.
   • Only communicate with your financial institution using phone numbers or e-mail addresses you know to be correct.
   • Don’t install apps unless you know the vendor.

• Malware

What you can do:

Install and update regularly your:

1. • Anti-virus software
     
   • Anti-malware programs
     
   • Operating system patches and updates

• General tips against internet fraud

  • Don’t judge by appearances. The availability of software that allows anyone to set up a professional-looking website means that criminals can make their websites look as impressive as those of legitimate businesses.
  • Be careful giving personal data online. If you receive e-mail or text requests for personal data, don’t send the data without knowing who’s asking.
  • Be wary of disguised e-mails and texts. If someone sends you an e-mail or text using an mail header that has no useful identifying data it could mean that the person is hiding something.

• Here are some basic safety tips you can implement immediately:

  • Password—Experts advise a combination of letters and numbers.
  • Virus Protection—Your computer’s anti-virus software needs to be up-to-date to guard against new strains.
  • Spyware Protection—Anti-spyware programs are readily available. Every computer connected to the Internet should have the software installed…and updated regularly.
    

• Resources

  • Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): www.ic3.gov
  • Consumer Fraud (DOJ/Homepage): www.justice.gov
  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center: www.ftc.gov
  • Consumer.gov: www.consumer.gov
  • Identity Theft Resource Center: www.idtheftcenter.org or 858-693-7935
  • OnGuardOnline.gov: www.onguardonline.gov

Give the bounce to fake check scams

It’s your lucky day! You just won a foreign lottery! There’s just one catch: this is a scam. The lottery angle is a trick to get you to wire money to someone you don’t know. If you were to deposit their check and wire the money, you would soon learn that the check was a fake. The money you wired can’t be retrieved, and you’re responsible for the checks you deposit—even though you don’t know they are fake.

This is just one example of a counterfeit check scam that could leave you owing money. The Federal Trade Commission wants you to know that counterfeit check scams are on the rise. The scammers use high quality printers and scanners to make the checks look real. Some of the checks contain authentic-looking watermarks. These counterfeit checks are printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. And even though the account and routing numbers listed on a counterfeit check may be real, the check still can be a fake.

These fakes range from cashier’s checks and money orders to corporate and personal checks. Could you be a victim? Not if you recognize and report them.

Fake checks: Variations on a scheme

Counterfeit or fake checks are being used in a growing number of fraudulent schemes, including

• foreign lottery scams

• check overpayment scams

• internet auction and secret shopper scams

• scams selling cars or other valuable items through classified ads or online auction sites.

Here’s how it happens:

A scam artist replies to a classified ad or auction posting, offers to pay for the item with a check, and then comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price. The scammer asks the seller to wire back the difference after depositing the check. The seller does it, and later, when the scammer’s check bounces, the seller is left liable for the entire amount.

Who is responsible for what?

Under federal law, financial institutions must make funds available to you from U.S. Treasury checks, official checks (cashier’s checks, certified checks, and teller’s checks), and checks paid by government agencies at the opening of business the day after you deposit the check. For other checks, financial institutions must similarly make the first $225 available the day after you deposit the check. Remaining funds must be made available on the second day after the deposit.

However, just because funds are available on a check you’ve deposited doesn’t mean the check is good. It’s best not to rely on money from any type of check (cashier, business or personal check, or money order) unless you know and trust the person you are dealing with or, better yet—until the financial institution confirms that the check has cleared. Forgeries can take weeks to be discovered and untangled.

The bottom line is that until the financial institution confirms that the funds from the check have been deposited into your account, you are responsible for any funds you withdraw against that check.

Protecting yourself

• Throw away any offer that asks you to pay for a prize or a gift.

• Resist the urge to enter foreign lotteries. It’s illegal to play a foreign lottery through the mail or the telephone.

• If you are selling something, don’t accept a check for more than the selling price, no matter how tempting the offer.

• As a seller, you can suggest an alternative way for the buyer to pay, like an escrow service or online payment service. To learn more, visit ftc.gov/onlineshopping.

• If you accept payment by check, ask for a check drawn on a local financial institution.

• If the buyer insists that you wire back funds, end the transaction immediately.

If you think you are a victim

If you think you’ve been targeted by a counterfeit check scam, report it to the following agencies:

• The Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382- 4357).

• The U.S. Postal Inspection Service www.usps.gov or call your local post office.

• Your state or local consumer protection agencies; visit www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.