WHAT IS PHISHING?
Phishing is the process of seeking to obtain personal information illegally through email, text or pop-up messages in order to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords or other sensitive information.
Phishing attempts often:
- Urge you to act quickly because your account may be suspended or closed
- Do not address you by name, but use a more generic title like "Dear valued customer"
- Ask for account numbers, passwords or other personal information
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM PHISHING
- Do not reply to unsolicited communications or respond by clicking on a link within the message.
- Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the message to verify if it is genuine. Visit a website or call a phone number that you know to be legitimate.
- Prior to entering account information on any website, be sure to look for the "locked padlock" or "https" at the beginning of the website address to make sure the site is secure.
- Ensure that your virus scanning software automatically scans attachments, or scan them manually prior to opening them.
- Verify that the sender's address or phone number is what you would expect.
- Be suspicious of all attachments from a stranger. If you don't know or recognize the sender, do not open the attachment.
- Never send confidential information, such as account numbers or passwords, in an e-mail or text message.
WHO TO CONTACT IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE BEEN TARGETED BY A PHISHING ATTEMPT
Iowa State Bank will never ask you to provide your social security number, account numbers or other confidential information via email or text message. If you receive an email or text message from Iowa State Bank asking you to provide similar information or asking you to click on a link to update your information, do not respond.
If you have additional questions or believe you have received a Phishing email or text message, please contact your local Iowa State Bank office.
