Security Center

Alerts

July 9, 2010

Sheriff’s Reports- Sheriff seeks help to stop magazine sales scams

The Lancaster sheriff’s department is warning residents to be on the lookout for a door-to-door -magazine subscription scam in the area. A young woman, identifying herself as Katrina, is reportedly knocking on doors in the Kilmarnock area selling subscriptions
for a company called SYN, Inc., which sometimes lists its corporate headquarters in Colorado. Based on reports on the web, it appears to be a fraudulent company. Katrina is described as dark skinned, possibly Hispanic, with sevetal visible tattoos, friendly, and says she is trying to raise money for a trip to Italy. Sheriff Ronnie Crocket asks that residents who are approached to buy magazine subscriptions from this group
contact the sheriff’s department immediately at 462-5111,so that deputies can respond and catch them. Reprinted from the Rappahannock Record.

June 8, 2010

Account Scam

We have received several reports regarding fraudulent calls to our customers.  The call was from an automated system asking to re-activate your ATM/Debit Card and asking for an account number.  Chesapeake Bank would not use an automated system to call our customers.  We would not call our customers and ask them for their information.

If you have given someone your account information over the phone, please call us immediately at 800-434-1181.     

May 12, 2010

Mail Forwarding Scam

Having mail stolen from your mailbox is among everyone’s greatest fears. It can leave one feeling completely violated and vulnerable. A recent article on the KRQE.com website highlights the fact that identity thieves are becoming environmentally and economically conscientious. Instead of wasting gas by making a trip to yours and others mailboxes, they simply have the postal service deliver your mail directly to them.

How It Works:

You may receive a notice from the U.S. Postal Service informing you that your mail is about to be forwarded to another location. The problem is that it wasn’t you that requested the forwarding change of address.

Identity thieves in New Mexico are now scanning residential phone books and choosing several random names and addresses. With this information, an identity thief will fill out a change of address form, just like the ones an individual who has moved would submit. If the attempt to forward your mail is successful, your mail will be directed to a new postal address, often out-of-state. Once the address has been successfully changed, fake documents such as driver’s licenses can be obtained, credit card information stolen, and other personally identifiable information gleaned. Often times this information is sold to illegal immigrants in attempts to establish legal residency and obtain jobs.
Your Defense:

When a Forwarding Change of Address Order Form is submitted, the U.S. Postal Service will send a confirmation notice informing you that your mail is about to be forwarded to your new address. If you receive one of these notices and did not request the change of address, contact your local U.S. Postal Service office immediately and notify them that the forwarding address in question is not yours, and that they should put a halt to the forwarding of any of your mail. Also, you should contact all companies that send regular scheduled bills or statements (e.g. banks/credit unions, credit card, auto loan, utility, phone, etc.). And of course, you should contact the local police and file a police report.

You will have 7 – 10 days from the time the change of address form was submitted before the forwarding takes effect. The quicker you act, the safer your mail will be.

Read more on the U.S. Postal Service Change of Address Frequently Asked Questions.

If you believe your identity has been stolen, call 866.SMART68 today.

February 5th, 2010

Please, be advised that no financial institution, Visa or Mastercard will ever call you and ask for information from your credit or debit cards.  Do not give card information to anyone that initiates a call to you.  Also, do not respond to a text message asking for card information.  Your bank, Visa or Mastercard will not ask for your card information.

ABA WARNS OF FRAUDULENT EMAILS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 – The American Bankers Association has been alerted that someone or a group of individuals sending emails purporting to be from ABA are actually part of a scam commonly known as phishing. These con artists are sending emails asking people to click on a link for more information -- a popular technique to get financial information from the email recipient.

Phishing for financial information has been a long-standing practice. However, criminals are increasingly phishing for access to corporate, small business and government accounts and using that access to withdraw large sums of money from those accounts. Clicking on the link could enable fraudsters to download malicious software on to victims’ computers and steal bank passwords and other account information.

The emails inform recipients that an “unauthorized transaction” has been charged to their account using their “bank card.” The amount of the transactions is typically between $3,000 and $7,000. ABA would never contact a consumer and ask for financial information.

ABA is working with law enforcement to identify the source of the emails and to disrupt them. ABA offers the following advice to consumers, business and government organizations:

* Never give out financial information in response to an unsolicited phone call, fax or email, no matter how official it may seem. If you are uncertain, call your financial institution or the organization that is purportedly contacting you using a phone number you know is safe.
* If you have already responded to this type of call or email by providing financial information, contact your financial institution immediately to protect your account;
* Be extremely cautious about clicking on links within unsolicited emails. When in doubt, contact the organization purportedly sending the email.
* Inform the ABA about fraudulent phone calls and emails that use ABA’s name by sending an email to alert@aba.com.

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