Online Banking
Online Security
Corporate Account Takeover
Corporate account takeover is the business equivalent of personal identity theft. Hackers, backed by professional criminal organizations, are targeting small and medium businesses to obtain access to their web banking credentials or remove control of their computers. These hackers will then drain the deposit and credit lines of the compromised bank accounts, funneling the funds through mules that quickly redirect the monies overseas into backer’s accounts. A computer can be compromised very easily by visiting an infected website or by simply opening an email. There has been a steady increase in account takeovers since 2009 resulting in billions of dollars of damage.
Delta Bank is providing the following online training link to assist customers in understanding and preventing online Corporate Account Takeover (CATO).
Click the link below to start the webinar.
Corporate Customer Training on Cybersecurity & CATO
Defenses against Identity Theft
Tips
- Add your phone numbers to the national Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. Since February 2008, these registered telephone numbers will no longer expire off the list.
- Examine your credit card and financial institution statements immediately upon receipt to determine whether there were any unauthorized transactions. Report any that you find immediately to the financial institution.
Quarterly
- ePlace a fraud alert every 90 days on your credit file at www.fraudalerts.equifax.com or by calling 1-800-525-6285. By placing a fraud alert with Equifax, you will automatically have alerts placed at Experian and TransUnion.
Every 5 Years
- Opt out of pre-screened credit offers by calling 1-888-567-8688 or at www.optoutprescreen.com.
Please read the other sections to learn about the different types of fraud and how to prevent them, from spyware and other computer fraud to mail and phone fraud to email phishing and web spoofing. Our Fraud Summary page provides more tips on how to protect yourself.
Contact us immediately at (318)336-4510 if you notice any suspicious or unusual activity related to any of your Delta Bank accounts.
Fraud Summary
Identity Theft is the most popular and profitable form of consumer fraud. It occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other identifying information, without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes.
Common Ways Identity Theft Can Happen
Plain Stealing
- Thieves typically steal wallets and purses. They also steal mail such as credit card and bank statements, pre-approved credit card offers, check orders and other financial mail.
Dumpster Diving
- Thieves dig through trash looking for bills, financial or other personal information.
Change of Address
- Thieves modify or redirect your billing statements to another address by completing a “change of address” form.
Phishing
- Thieves may send unsolicited Emails, pretending to be a financial institution or a company, asking you to click a link to update or confirm your personal or login information. The link is directed to a “spoof” website designed to look like a legitimate site.
Skimming
- Thieves may use a card reader device to copy the card’s magnetic strip to duplicate without the card owner’s knowledge.
Monitor Your Accounts
- Keep track of transactions on your accounts by logging in to Delta Bank’s Online Banking, where you can view your activity as it is posted.
- Do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
- Do not have personal information such as your Social Security number and driver’s license number printed on your checks.
- Keep your new and cancelled checks in a safe place.
- Do not leave your purse, wallet, checkbook, or any other forms of identification in your car
- Shred or tear up any documents containing banking or credit information, especially pre-approved credit offers, before you throw them away. To opt out of pre-approved credit card offers, call 1-888-567-8688.
- Keep your PINs and passwords a secret. Do not write them down or share them with anyone.
Contact us immediately at (318)336-4510 if you notice any suspicious or unusual activity related to any of your Delta Bank accounts.
Computer Security
Computer Protection Tips
- Update your computer operating system on a regular basis.
- Keep your browser current with the latest security updates.
- Use updated anti-virus software.
- Use updated anti-spyware software and consider, using more than one, to ensure the most thorough scan.
- Change your passwords on a regular basis, as a good practice to help prevent unauthorized access.
- Download free software only from websites you know and trust.
- Do not install software without knowing exactly what it is or what it will do (read the end-user license agreement).
- Close pop-up ads by clicking on the “X” instead of clicking within the advertisement itself.
- Review your browser security settings and set them to a high enough level to help detect unauthorized downloads. (Click your browser’s “Help” menu for steps).
- Do not click link inside of spam email, especially emails claiming to offer anti-spyware software.
- Install a personal firewall on your computer. A firewall works like a filter that prevents access to information on your computer.
- Don’t give any of your personal information to any web sites that do not use encryption or other secure methods to protect it.
Signs Your Computer Has Been Compromised
- 1. Your Email Account Is Sending Out Spam.
If you receive messages from your friends saying that they receive spam email from you, that means either your account or your PC has already been compromised. This usually happens when you’re infected with a malware that resides in your PC; it compromises your browser activity as well.
If you have your password saved on your browser, the malware can easily access your email account with that info. That way, it can use your email to spam out links to all your contacts. There’s also a chance that your account has been hacked, although this is a rarer cause.
- 2. Your Password Has Been Changed.
If you have ever received email from a website you have registered for, telling you that your account password has been changed, you may have been a victim of malware. This may be caused by items downloaded online, that wasn’t scanned before it was opened, and it doesn’t even have to be an item of questionable content. Hackers can easily use a program to bind a malware trojan, that is not easily detectable, onto anything, even a normal image file or an mp3.
Once you have downloaded and open that image or mp3, your PC will be infected immediately with that trojan. Your PC may be compromised, without you knowing. Besides all that, it is also possible that hackers can hack into your account using brute force software and a password list so pay attention when a system says that your password is not strong enough.
- 3. Online Stores Calling About Goods You Didn’t Order.
If you like to shop online, you probably have your credit card credentials linked to your shopping account. The event of someone hacking into your account and using this data to buy something online these days is not impossible. Although online stores like Amazon have put in place security features to prevent such a thing from happening, the best security still comes from being mindful of your own account.
Shopping online is easy and convenient, not only for you but also for hackers who want take advantage of shoppers who are careless with their shopping habits. Do all your online shopping behind a secured router connection (public Wi-Fi and even hotel Wi-Fi are not considered secure) to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, and check your credit card statements for irregular activities.
- 4. Fake Antivirus Message
It’s fairly common to receive a fake antivirus message on an unprotected PC. This kind of message will alert you that your PC is already infected with a virus via a legitimate-looking scan result list on their software. The software will advise you to install its full version for protection but what will happen if you do is that you will be actively installing the malware itself. It is best to ignore such heart attack inducing messages.
Sometimes, instead of it being an antivirus message, you might also receive pop-ups that ask you to download their free software to boost your PC performance. It’s best to ignore these as well, and if possible, including those that pop up when none of your browsers are even open.
- 5. Random Website Popups
So you’re browsing your Facebook news feed and suddenly a random popup appears on top of your current page showing a message that you’ve won a prize and you need to click on the pop-ups to claim it. Right, everyone’s lucky on the Internet that way. Again, ignore these pop-ups and while you’re at it, change your browser settings to not allow pop-ups while you’re browsing.
By not allowing pop-ups, you help prevent your PC from being exposed to adware invasions, thus saving you from being infected with malware too. Note that nowadays your PC can end up being infected even when you do not allow or see any of those adware popups. That is because they can now hijack your browser simply after you have visited a harmful website, so watch where you surf.
- 6. Your PC Gets Locked For Ransom
Ransomware is a virus that is used to take over and hold your PC for ransom. If your PC is infected with a ransomware, you will receive a notice along this lines of “Your computer has been locked due to suspicion of illegal content downloading and distribution.” And there is nothing you can do, except pay to regain control of your PC.
The behaviors of these ransomware may vary, some lock all your files with encryption, unless you pay the amount they are asking for. If you don’t pay within the allotted time, they destroy the decription key. Even if you do, there is still a chance that the hacker may just walk away without releasing your PC. Prevention is better than cure in this situation.
- 7. Your Webcam Light Turns On, On Its On
Another form of intrusion comes from rats. A popular malware program, Remote Administration Tools (RAT) allows the hacker to take control of your PC remotely, usually to enable and capture what your PC webcam sees. This tool is the origin of the many webcam videos that are available in some parts of the Internet, even on YouTube.
It also contains features to scare the victim. The hacker could open a notepad, type a message and let the voice speech feature read the messages to the victim. RAT can also be used to listen to your microphone, steal your stored passwords, modify/view/stream your files, log your keystrokes and many other activities. In most cases, you could get infected from not being careful with the downloaded files you open.
- 8. Unwanted Browser Toolbars
Many toolbars are often included together with the installation of a certain software. In the past, you have the option to tick to install the toolbar if you ever want to. But nowadays, those options are automatically enabled the moment you run the setup.
If you skip through the installation options, you might end up with a few unwanted browser toolbars. These toolbars could track your browsing habits, automatically redirect you to a different website while searching, and will ultimately slow down your PC.
- 9. Internet Gets Disconnected Frequently
The origin of this problem can be from two sources: your PC or your Internet Service Provider (ISP). If you think your ISP is not the reason why this happen, then you may have a live-in malware that is stealing your bandwidth. It can do this by making a separate connection on your PC that can render your original session useless.
Thanks to that, sometimes even though you can load any website fine, you might not be able to connect to your internet messenger like Skype. Hackers often use their victims’ PC as proxies, for their own benefit.
Mail and Phone
We recommend you learn ways to protect yourself from common fraud schemes.
Vishing
Vishing scams target consumers by “spoofing” text or voicemail messages that ask you to call a phone number and give your personal information. Here’s how it works:
- You receive a “spoof” email or text message about suspicious account activity.
- The text or voicemail message will ask you to call a “customer service” number.
- When you call the customer service number, a recording will ask you to provide personal information such as account numbers, passwords, a social security number, or other critical information.
- The recording may not mention the company’s name and could potentially be an indication the call is being used for fraud.
- You can also receive a phone call.
- The call could be a “live” person or a recorded message.
- The caller may already have your personal information, which may seem as if the call is legitimate.
Smishing
Smishing is when consumers’ cell phones and other mobile devices are targeted with mobile spam. The spam, or text messages, attempt to trick consumers into providing personal information. Here’s how it works:
- You receive a fake text message, which may include a fraudulent link, asking you to register for an online service.
- The scammer attempts to load a virus onto your cell phone or mobile device
- The scammer may also send a message ‘warning’ you that your account will be charged unless you cancel your supposed online order.
- When you attempt to log on to the website, the scammer extracts your credit card number and other personal information.
- In turn, your information is used to duplicate credit, debit and ATM cards.
- Scammers may also send you a text message again ‘warning’ you that your bank account has been closed due to suspicious activity.
- The text message will ask you to call a ‘customer service’ number to reactivate your account.
- When you call the number, you are taken to an automated voice mail box that prompts you to key in your credit card, debit card or ATM card number, expiration date and PIN to verify your information.
- Again, your information is used to duplicate credit, debit and ATM cards.
Lottery/Sweepstakes Scams
Lottery/Sweepstakes scams target consumers by a notification, which arrives through the mail, by email, or by an unsolicited telephone call. Here’s how it works:
- The notification advises you have won a prize, but you did not enter in any type of lottery or sweepstakes by the promoter contacting you.
- The promoter will ask you to send payment to cover the cost of redeeming the prize when the prize does not exist.
- In this type of scam, you may rarely, if ever, receive any winnings in return.
Check Overpayment Scams
Check Overpayment scams target consumers who sell items through an online auction site or a classified ad. Here’s how it works:
- The seller takes a big loss when the ‘buyer’ passes a counterfeit cashier’s check, money order, corporate or personal check as payment.
- The counterfeit check is written for more than the agreed price.
- The ‘buyer’ will ask the consumer to wire back the difference after the check has been deposited.
- The check will most likely bounce and the consumer becomes liable for the entire amount.
Tips for the mailbox
- Deposit outgoing mail at the Post Office.
- Remove incoming mail from your personal mailbox as soon as possible, or use a P.O. Box or locked, secure mailbox.
- Request a mail hold from the United States Postal Service or call them at 1-800-275-8777 if you plan to be away from home for an extended period.
- Know your billing cycles. If bills are late or missing, contact your creditors.
- Watch for your new or replacement Visa Debit Card from us. You should receive it within 10 business days.
- Switch to a more secure way of receiving your account statement. When you sign up for Delta Bank Online E-Statements, your statement will no longer sit in your mailbox. Instead, we will send you an email when your statement is available through your secure Online Banking account. Please ask a customer service representative for details.
Tips For The Phone
- Do not give out personal information, such as your account numbers, card numbers, Social Security, tax identification numbers, passwords, or PINs, unless you have initiated the call.
- We will not make an unsolicited call requesting your personal information.
- If you ever believe you are not talking to a representative of a legitimate company, hang up and call the phone number listed in the telephone book.
Contact us immediately at (318)336-4510 if you notice any suspicious or unusual activity related to any of your Delta Bank accounts.
Phishing and Spoofing
Phishing
Phishing scams target consumers by “spoofing” text or voicemail messages that ask you to call a phone number and give your personal information. Here’s how it works:
- You receive an email message, asking you to click on a link in order to update some sensitive personal information.
- The link will redirect you to a “spoofed” website, which is designed to look like a legitimate website.
- The website will ask you to input personal information such as your account numbers, PINs, or a social security number.
Avoid Spoofed Websites
To protect yourself from going to a spoofed website, always type: “www.deltabk.com” into your browser when you login to your Delta Bank Online Banking Account, instead of clicking a link in an email.
Email Protection Tips
- Do not click links in Emails to log in, or to update or confirm your sensitive information
- Do not fill out forms in Emails
- Be cautious about opening attachments or downloading files, regardless of who sent them
- ‘Spam’ or mass email messages often contain links to phishing websites and other unsavory websites.
- Many phishing scams originate outside of the United States. Be wary of emails from people or sources you don’t know or trust.
- Poor grammar and misspelled words from unknown sources asking you for personal information are clear warning signs of a phishing scam being operated outside of the United States.
- Legitimate companies or organizations will never ask you to divulge any personal information over email.
- Phishing emails may also be fake contests or offerings, asking you to input personal information.
- If an offer or email you receive is too good to be true, it most likely is.
Bank Error Messages
One of the newest schemes by fraudsters involves spoofing bank error messages. Here’s how it works:
- Fraudsters will send you an email message about a data or site maintenance error at Delta Bank or any of your banks.
- The email will ask you to click on a link, which will redirect you to a site and will install malware on your computer.
- This malware allows scammers to intercept your password and bypass the dual authentication system many financial institutions use.
- The next time you attempt to log in to your online banking service, scammers attempt to steal your password and may quickly drain your account.
Emails from Delta Bank
For your protection, we will not send you an email to update or confirm your sensitive information by clicking a link or replying.
Emails to Delta Bank
Please do not send personal information in this un-secure email. Secure email may be sent to the bank via the Online Banking Message Center.