News & Announcements

January 27, 2010

Protect Yourself Against Fraud

ALERT 1/27/10: We have recently been made aware that the ABA’s (American Bankers Association) name is being used in a new phishing e-mail. The e-mail informs recipients that an “unauthorized transaction” has been charged to their account using their bank card. The amount of the transaction is listed, and recipients are asked to click on a link to review the transaction.

The e-mail is fraudulent, and recipients should not click on the link.

Clicking on links in such e-mails could enable the fraudsters to download malicious software into victims’ computers and steal passwords and other account identifiers.

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ALERT 11/12/09: Notification has been received from NACHA – The Electronics Payments Association telling us fraudulent emails are being sent to random individuals regarding rejected transactions. The emails appear to come from NACHA instructing recipients to click a link. Do Not Click The Link – viruses are associated with the link.

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Beware that Phishing scams are on the rise. Phishing is e-mail fraud where the criminal sends out very legitimate-looking e-mails that appear to come from well known and trustworthy sources like banks, and governmental offices in an attempt to gather personal and/or financial information from the recipient. Many times they simply request information or they may direct you to a website for you to verify information. Once they have your information they commit account fraud.

They mirror real names and real companies — Rather than create a phony company, they might use a legitimate company’s name and they use the look and feel of its website (including the color scheme and graphics) into the email.

Sometimes they appear to be “From” an actual employee — The “from” line or the text of the message (or both) could contain the names of real people who actually work for the company. That way, if you contacted the company to confirm whether “Jane Doe” truly is “VP of Client Services,” you’d get a positive response and feel assured.

Criminals are sophisticated and they create URLs that “Look Right” — The email might include a convenient link to a website that looks legitimate, where you can enter the information they want to steal. But in reality the website will be a copy-cat — a “spoofed” website that looks like the real thing. In some cases, the link might lead to select pages of a legitimate website — such as the real company’s actual privacy policy or legal disclaimer.

More often then not, they include an “Urgent Message” — Many criminals use fear to trigger a response, (threatening to close your account, etc.) if you don’t respond and phishers are no different. In common scams, the emails warn that failure to respond will result in your no longer having access to your account. Other emails might claim that the company has detected suspicious activity in your account or that it is implementing new privacy software or identity theft solutions.

Social Engineering is the attempt to manipulate or trick a person into providing confidential information to an individual that is not authorized to receive such information. This can be done in a number of ways, especially through email and phone calls.

NEVER reveal your account information or password to anyone requesting it in an email or over the phone – not even individuals claiming to be from Macatawa Bank or other Governmental offices. Macatawa Bank would NEVER ask for that information.

Avoid opening email attachments received from unknown senders, even though they may look legitimate, they may contain viruses or other malicious computer programs.

If you suspect anyone is trying to obtain information without proper authorization, please contact your local banking office or the Security Response Team at 616.494.1408.

WARNING: 2010 Census Cautions from the Better Business Bureau


Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers – by Susan Johnson

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is – how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit http://www.bbb.org