Security Statement

Phishing

Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to trick you into disclosing your personal credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords or other sensitive information.

Phishers send an e-mail or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with. For example, the e-mail may purport to be from your Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency.

The message usually says that you need to "update" or "validate" your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you don't respond. The message usually contains a link to what appears to be the bank WEB site that looks just like a legitimate organization's site but is in fact a bogus site created to STEAL your identity and account information.

Listed are a few tips to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:

Your Cyber-Defense Tactics

• If you receive an email that warns you, with little or no notice, that your account will be shut down unless you reconfirm certain information, do not click on the email link. Instead, use a phone number or enter the web address yourself. Clicking on a link that looks legitimate may in fact direct you to a fraudulent website where crooks will steal your personal information. Remember, your bank or a government agency will never send you an alert asking you to disclose your personal information.
• Be wary of unsolicited or unexpected emails from all sources.
• If an unsolicited email arrives, treat it as you would a phishing source. Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
• Report suspicious activity related to your accounts with Hometown Bank promptly to 330-673-9827.
• Report other suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center (www.ftc.gov).
• You can file a complaint with the FTC against a company or organization that you believe has cheated you by contacting the Consumer Response Center by phone: toll free 877-FTCHELP (382-4357) – TTY: 202-326-2502

Spoofing

Web spoofing allows an attacker to create a "shadow copy" of any legitimate website. Access to the shadow web is funneled through the attacker's machine, allowing the attacker to monitor all of the victim's activities, including any passwords or account numbers the victim enters. The attacker can also cause false or misleading data to be sent to web servers in the victim's name, or to the victim in the name of any web server. In spoofing, an attacker gains unauthorized access to a computer or a network by making it appear that a malicious message has come from a trusted machine by "spoofing" the address of that machine. Phishing and spoofing often go hand-in hand in Internet fraud.

Your Cyber-Defense Tactics

• Don’t use public computer to access your critical financial and confidential information web sites.
• Don’t access your critical financial and confidential sites using a public wi-fi.
• Verify the legitimate source of applications or web sites with a trusted source before initiating an internet banking account.
• Bookmark critical sites that you use to access financial or confidential information. Use those bookmarks exclusively to access those critical sites.
• Don’t use the same password for all of the sites you access through the Internet.
• Before submitting any financial or confidential information to a legitimate website, look for the "lock" icon on the browser status bar, or look for "https" in the web address. Both are indications that the information is secure and encrypted during transmission.

Identity Theft Frauds

Internet fraudsters often use identity theft as a starting point for larger crimes. In one case, criminals obtained the names and social security numbers of military personnel then used them to apply to a bank over the Internet for credit cards. In another case, stolen personal data was used to submit car loan applications online.

Your Cyber-Defense Tactics

• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
• Your personal information can be obtained by "phishing," "spoofing," or the old fashioned way — dumpster diving. Make sure your unused checks, bills, credit/debit card receipts, credit card applications you receive in the mail where you have already been pre-qualified and statements are shredded before discarding.

General Tips Against Cyber-Fraud

Use Anti-Virus Software and keep it up to date. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Look for anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates automatically.

A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It's especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband connection.

Patch your software. This is especially important for your operating system (like Windows or Linux) which generally offer free software "patches" to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit. Automatically install current updates when they are made available from the vendors.

Use Common Sense.

Contact Hometown Bank to report suspicious activity or with questions about this security statement.

Consumer Resources

The Internet is a great tool...for information, and to conduct on-line business, as long as consumers take appropriate precautions and are aware of the possibility that someone may be trying to scam them. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The consumer information links below exist to assist customers in locating information and providing guidance on how to file complaints when appropriate.