Security – A Top Priority

Phishing

"Phishing" refers to an individual or group of individuals who create an imitation or copy of an existing legitimate Web page to trick users into providing sensitive personal information.

Please be aware that Westbury Bank will never initiate a request for sensitive information from you via email (ie., Social Security Number, Personal ID, Password, PIN or account number). If you receive an email that requests this type of sensitive information, you should be suspicious of it. We strongly suggest that you do not share your Personal ID, Password, PIN or account number with anyone, under any circumstances.

Cyber-criminals are "spamming" large numbers of recipients, without actual knowledge of their banking affiliation, with fraudulent emails like these. They request and collect email addresses and other confidential information like financial account numbers, IDs and passwords. The cyber-criminals have copied the logos and the content styles of widely known and respected financial institutions and have created counterfeit websites, in an attempt to elicit a response from a recipient who may or may not be a customer of that financial institution.

The following are the latest types of "phishing" emails:

• Important News about Your Bank Account
• Your account has been suspended
• Verify Your Email Address (Referencing Your Account Number)
• Request to Update Your Account Information
• Verify Your Email Address (AOL Specific Instructions)
• Enroll in Internet Banking
• Request to Update Your Billing Information
• Verify Your Email Address [Asks for SSN/TAXID]
• Home Equity Loan Application
• Email Verification

Things you can do to protect yourself:

• Be wary of "account shutdown" messages: These typically warn you your account is going to be shut down unless you "fix" it with some information. Contact your local branch if you receive any of these requests.
• Don't fill in personal info via a link: Always go to the website, http://www.westburybankwi.com to check it out. An e-mail link can be faked.
• Check credit card statements: You already know to do this, but look for strange transactions on your credit cards. Consider having a card just for online shopping.

Vishing

Vishing is the criminal practice of using social engineering and Voice over IP (VoIP) to gain access to private personal and financial information from the public for the purpose of financial reward. The term is a combination of "voice" and phishing. Vishing exploits the public's trust in landline telephone services, which have traditionally terminated in physical locations which are known to the telephone company, and associated with a bill-payer. The victim is often unaware that VoIP allows for caller ID spoofing, inexpensive, complex automated systems and anonymity for the bill-payer. Vishing is typically used to steal credit card numbers or other information used in identity theft schemes from individuals.

Vishing is very hard for legal authorities to monitor or trace. To protect themselves, consumers are advised to be highly suspicious when receiving messages directing them to call and provide credit card or bank numbers. Rather than provide any information, the consumer is advised to contact their bank or credit card company directly to verify the validity of the message.

Pharming

Pharming is a scamming tactic which begins when hackers gain access to a computer and alter the address of the site. They then redirect the user to a bogus website. So, a user thinks they are on the correct site but, in fact, they are entering their personal financial information on a fraudulent website.

Any information such as your credit card number, bank account number, or password entered on the fraudulent web site is used by criminals for identity theft.

Westbury Bank uses the most sophisticated anti-pharming measures available.