Protect Yourself From Online, Telephone & Mail Fraud

At Big Horn Federal, our priority is the safeguarding of your information.

Big Horn Federal will never send unsolicited emails asking you or any of our customers to provide, update or verify their account or personal information such as passwords, account number, social security number, debit or credit card numbers or any other confidential information.

WE ALREADY HAVE THIS INFORMATION ON FILE HERE AT THE BANK!!

We have earned your trust and want you to know we are committed to keeping your accounts and personal information confidential. Online, Telephone, Email and Mail fraud as well as Identity Theft are serious crimes which can cause unsuspecting consumers time and money to combat.

In order to familiarize you with the characteristics of fraud schemes, and to encourage you to implement safeguards which will reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim of fraud we encourage you to review the following:

Phishing: Fraudulent emails or Web pages that often include a legitimate company's logo or images that attempt to illegally obtain clients' confidential information.

Pharming: Code that compromises users' computers and redirects them to fraudulent Web sites - even if users type in the correct URL.

Phishing and Pharming are a rapidly growing form of fraud which can lead to financial loss and identity theft. Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent e-mail messages, letters or phone calls to addresses and numbers requesting them to supply confidential information. The message can be directed at a smaller number of targeted recipients, but is most often mass-mailed or "spammed" to thousands of potential victims. The message is disguised to look like a request from a legitimate organization such as Big Horn Federal, a bank, a credit card company, or a retail merchant with which recipients may already have a business relationship. Often the message includes a warning regarding a problem related to the recipient's account and requests the recipient to respond by providing specific confidential information. Pharming can work as the format of the message typically includes proprietary logos and branding, a From line disguised to appear as if the message came from a legitimate sender, and a link to a website or a link to an e-mail address. All of these features are designed to assure the recipient the message is from a legitimate business source when in fact, the information submitted will be sent to the perpetrator.

Identity theft: The act of impersonating another, by means of using the person's information, such as birth date, Social Security number, address, name, and bank account information.

Identity theft may be implemented through e-mail, over the telephone, or through the mail. You or other victims may be directed to provide personal account information by responding to an e-mail, telephone call or letter and may be instructed to provide vital information. Typically, the information requested includes items such as account number, passwords, PINs, Social Security numbers or other personal identifying information which will allow the perpetrator to gain access to the victim's accounts, steal the victim's identity, sell the information to others seeking to do the same, or all of these.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Choose your online passwords and PINs carefully and never reveal them to anyone. Don't use your birthdate, telephone number, or street address - use a combination of letters and numbers.
Never leave your computer unattended with any account information on the screen. If you must leave, then log off first.
Always log off properly after you have completed your online business. Follow the secure area exit instructions to ensure your protection.

Generally, regular e-mail communication is not encrypted - don't send any sensitive personal or financial information in this manner. (Big Horn Federal utilizes secure e-mail messaging provided you have logged in to our Home Banking site).

Never reply to any e-mail, telephone call or letter that requests any personal or account information - we already have the needed information about your accounts. If we do request this information in order to complete our records - give us a call to verify we initiated the request.
Regularly review your bank account statements and immediately report any irregularities to the appropriate bank or branch personnel.
When providing your personal information, always make sure you are dealing with a secure connection. Only use sites you trust. Use reputable sites and always look for the padlock and https:// security features.
Consider installing virus detection software on your computer to safeguard against known computer viruses that could corrupt information on your computer or install spyware to copy confidential information.

TRANSACTING BUSINESS ONLINE

When you transact business online with Big Horn Federal, rest assured that we are utilizing the highest levels of security available. We use a 128-bit SSL (secure socket layer) to help protect your information. SSL converts your PIN (Personal Identification Number) and password into secure code and transmits that data over a secure channel. We have the only key to unlock or "decrypt" your confidential data. Look for the https:// (as opposed to http://) in your browser window along with the padlock icon in the lower right corner of the page whenever you conduct online transactions. If you double-click the padlock, a window will appear with information about the website. The information in the window should match the website you are visiting.

For customers who use our Home Banking product, your login ID and password are secured the instant you click "login". That is a secure field on our home page.

For customers who utilize the secure messaging email functions of our Home Banking product, once you have logged in to our site, those messages are encrypted and securely transmitted between the bank and our customers. Our home page, internet banking and bill payment features are all hosted by NCR behind their robust firewall. We also utilize the most advanced virus protection and spyware software to further help protect your information. However, the best protection is knowledge and understanding of how online fraud works and following the guidelines as noted above in the - HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF - section.

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has created a website to help address the rising cyber crime threat. This website, located at http://onguardonline.gov/index.html was designed to enlighten consumers about identity theft, phishing, pharming, spam, and online shopping scams. Consumers can take interactive quizzes to test their knowledge on these subjects. If a wrong answer is selected, the program explains why that particular misconception about Internet security can lead to trouble. Consumers can also find detailed guidance on how to monitor their credit histories, use effective passwords, and recover from identity theft. In addition, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has another page located at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/05/ddd.htm.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation also provides important information concerning phishing, pharming, spam and online shopping scams by accessing their web page at http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/alerts/index.html.

If you believe you have been a victim of a phishing scam related to your Big Horn Federal accounts please send us an email at bhfieb@tctwest.net or call 800-927-7556.