Fraud

Introducing SecureAlerts

When it happens, you know. Talk about a feeling of security.

New SecureAlerts let you know the moment something important happens in your account by instantly sending a message via text*, email, or to your Online Banking message center.

With SecureAlerts you’ll always know exactly what’s happening with your money, and you can watch for suspicious activity. It’s a free service for Bank Of The Rockies Customers.

Choose From Dozens of SecureAlerts

Monitor your account activity such as:

• A purchase using your debit card was just processed.
• An ATM withdrawal is made. You instantly know.

Delivered the Way You Want

Messages are sent instantly using any of the delivery channels you choose:

Text Messages- One of the easiest ways to receive SecureAlerts is through text messages on your smartphone*, or wearable devices.

Email- Receive email messages about your account activity.

Online Banking Message Center- View your SecureAlerts every time you log on to Online Banking.

*Message and data rates may apply.

Set Up Your Real Time SecureAlerts:

1. Log on to Online Banking. Select Alerts
2. Click each Category in Alert Options to view the list of available alerts.
3. Select the Alerts you want to receive for each account. Then check how you would like to receive them, and Save.

You’ll now receive a message the moment any of your alerts are triggered. It’s that simple.

With SecureAlerts you’ll always know exactly what’s happening with your money, and you can watch for suspicious activity.

Create strong and unique passwords – Avoid obvious passwords such as birthdays, anniversaries, addresses and phone numbers. Strong passwords include a mixture of upper- and lowercase characters, numbers and symbols and are at least 8 digits long.

Install the latest anti-virus software on your home computer, phones and tablets and regularly update your operating system and applications. Taking additional measures to secure your phone, including fingerprint and/or facial recognition or installing a secure password to unlock the device will further prevent attacks if your phone is ever misplaced or stolen.

• Regularly check your accounts through online banking or in person to ensure all purchases are legitimate
• Report any discrepancies to your local office immediately
• Review your credit report annually for discrepancies. Visit the FTC website for help getting your annual credit report
• Setup account alerts through online banking to receive updates on your balances, transactions and more
• Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call list
• Sign up for IDTheft Smart to take a proactive approach to protecting your identity

• Go paperless
• Never write your PIN on the back of your card
• Use trusted online payment methods
• Keep your information up-to-date with the bank
• Secure your financial documents and records in a safe and secure place away from anyone who may come into your home—consider a safe deposit box at Bank of the Rockies
• Shred or burn old documents containing any banking or personal information to prevent unauthorized individuals from getting ahold of them
• Shred or burn unwanted credit card offers

One of the most important things you can do when it comes to your security, is communicate with us. Bank of the Rockies keeps eyes and ears open to stay knowledgeable about new scams as they surface. If you feel uneasy, reach out to us and we can help make sense of the situation. Above all, if you feel you are a victim of a scam, reach out to your local office as soon as possible to minimize risk.

What Are Skimming Devices?

Skimming devices are small devices that scan a credit/debit card and store the information contained in the magnetic strip. Skimming devices are used as a means of electronically capturing a victim’s personal information used by identity thieves. Skimming can take place during a legitimate transaction at a business. Skimming devices are most common on gas pumps and ATMs.

How To Protect Yourself Against Skimmers?

• Use ATM’s in public, well lighted areas
• Check ATM for overlay skimmers – grab the card reader to make sure it is secure.
• Cover your hand when entering your pin number to protect your pin
• Use gas pumps closest to or in view of the store
• Look for tamper proof security tape over the lock on the gas pump
• Use credit instead of debit on gas pumps to prevent your pin number from being recorded

Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity or company you do business with. Check with a state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Do not send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request.

Scammers may pose as government officials, law enforcement officers or bank employees to steal your personal information. Scammers use local numbers to trick you into answering when they call. The number you see on your caller ID may not be real.

Don’t call the phone number provided in a suspicious call, text message or email. Contact the company directly using the number from their website or a number you have used previously. Never respond to an unsolicited message.

A “padlock” icon located at the top of your browser window and the use of “https” in the address bar indicate a secure shopping website.

Never enter your debit or credit card information to receive a free sample, free trial or free information. Some companies use free trials to sign you up for products and bill you every month until you cancel. Always read the cancelation policy before agreeing to a free trial.

The most common types of scams will target you through emails (phishing), text message (SMSishing or smishing) or calls.

The Scammer May

• Instruct you not to trust the bank
• Pressure you to send money right away
• Threaten to arrest you or have charges brought against you
• Instruct you to purchase gift cards and provide codes as a form of payment
• Ask you to deposit a check that overpays for something you’re selling, then ask you to return the difference
• Request your banking or identity details to get payment

Signs of Fraudulent Emails

• The message is missing your name
• Appear to come from a legitimate source. Never rely on the name or address in the “From” field, as this is easily altered.
• Say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts
• Claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information
• Has spelling and grammatical errors
• Asks you to confirm personal information
• You are pressured to act now – or something bad will happen

If you suspect you have received a fraudulent email, do not click on any links or attachments. Delete the email, do not respond as that will alert the scammers that the email is active and you may receive additional scam emails from them. Go directly to the website to login and check your account status. Do not log in through the suspicious email.

Scammers will pose as a relative or representative of a relative (such as a lawyer or law enforcement agent). The scammer explains someone is in trouble and needs their grandparent to send them funds that will be used for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital bills, or another fictitious expense. They may ask you to wire money or buy gifts cards and give them the numbers. Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is. Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine. Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.

Scammers will pretend to be a government agency such as the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. They will call or leave voicemails saying you owe money and you’ll be arrested if you do not pay right away. Hang up immediately if you receive one of these calls. The IRS and SSA will never call you unsolicited. All notices from the IRS come by mail. Your social security number cannot be suspended and the SSA will never tell you to wire money, send cash or put money on a gift card. If you think you may owe the IRS back taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 or visit irs.gov/balancedue.

Charity scammers may pressure you to give right away and request payment by cash, gift card or wire transfer since they know those methods are harder to trace. Another red flag will be thanking you for a donation to make you think you’ve already given to their cause. Keep a record of your donations for future reference. Scam charities will mimic real non-profits and contact consumers through direct mail, well-designed websites and by phone. Veteran’s and natural disaster relief causes seem to be most imitated and charity scams are especially active during the holiday season. Always do your research before giving to ensure an organization is legitimate. Use resources such as the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator and CharityWatch to view ratings, reviews and tax and financial data for non-profit organizations.

Phone Call

Scammers may call and pretend to be a computer technician from a well-known company. They say they’ve found a problem with your computer. They often ask you to give them remote access to your computer and then pretend to run a diagnostic test. Then they try to make you pay to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.

Pop-up Warning

Tech support scammers may try to lure you with a pop-up window that appears on your computer screen. It might look like an error message from your operating system or antivirus software, and it might use logos from trusted companies or websites. The message in the window warns of a security issue on your computer and tells you to call a phone number to get help. Real security warnings and messages will never ask you to call a phone number.

Signs of a romance scam include quick professions of love, claims to be overseas for business or military service, claims to need money for emergencies, hospital bills or travel. Scammers will make plans to visit but back out at the last minute due to an “emergency”. Ask the person a lot of questions and watch for inconsistencies. Check their photo using Google’s “search by image” feature. If the same picture shows up elsewhere with a different name attached to it, that’s a sign the scammer may have stolen it. Cut off contact immediately if you begin to suspect that the individual may be fake and notify the dating site or app of the fraudulent profile.

If you receive an overpayment for an item you are selling with a request to deposit the check and return the overpayment via wire or gift card it is a scam. A legitimate buyer would never overpay. Other red flags include having someone else pick up the item because the buyer is out of town or unavailable.

Never pay for a freebie! A freebie isn’t a freebie unless it’s free! If a website asks for your credit/debit card information to receive a free item/information read the fine print. You are often agreeing to be charged monthly for product that you may or may not receive. Unless you are actually making a purchase, there is no need to share your card information. In addition, these sites are often harvesting your personal information to sell to other companies.

A sign of a debt relief scam is if they ask you to pay before they have done anything to help you. A legitimate debt relief company will not make you pay upfront because it is illegal. If you receive a call from a debt collector claiming you owe money, ask for a validation notice which says what you owe and to whom. If you are struggling with debt you can speak to your creditors directly to negotiate a modified payment plan or talk to a Bank of the Rockies lender about a debt consolidation loan.

Fraudulent email will claim your email address was randomly picked to participate in a drawing. A red flag would include being asked to prepay fees or taxes in order to receive the prize you supposedly won.