Cyber Security Awareness

COVID-19  Beware of Scams!

Golden Bank would like to remind our customers to remain vigilant during this COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Criminals may send emails with malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites to trick victims into revealing sensitive information.  So please exercise caution with social media pleas, texts, or calls related to COVID-19.   Remember, Golden Bank will never call, email or text you to request banking account information, login information or other sensitive data, such as passwords, user ID, security questions, and Social Security number.  For more helpful tips and information visit the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency website at https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2020/03/06/defending-against-covid-19-cyber-scams

Golden Bank, N.A. is committed to safeguarding your personal information. Your identity is one of the most important assets you own. It is important to keep your information safe from criminals who could potentially harm your financial well-being and reputation. The techniques used by identity thieves are becoming increasingly sophisticated; however, there are ways to keep your identity from being hijacked.

 

RISK CONTROL

You can protect yourself from most forms of identity theft. The best way to stay protected is to stay educated on the latest risks. Common ways identity thieves may attempt to steal your information include:

  • Email scams, such as Phishing, where you receive an email from a scam artist attempting to obtain your sensitive information such as social security number, credit card information, or bank account information. You can avoid this type of scam by:
    • Not responding to an email requesting confidential information
    • Being cautious when opening attachments, especially executable files
    • Not clicking on any link within an email. Instead, type in the known website address for the bank or company into your web browser
    • Not calling phone numbers within suspicious emails. Instead, call the telephone number on the company’s or bank’s known website

 

  • Internet attacks such as viruses, spyware, and keystroke loggers. Ways to protect yourself from this type of attack include:
    • Installing and maintaining up-to-date antivirus and anti-spyware protection
    • Using a firewall
    • Keeping your computer’s operating system and hardware up-to-date
    • Using only trusted websites when downloading items such as music, movies, and photographs from the Internet
    • Being cautious when using public computers to perform any personal transaction
    • Set strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Combine capital and lowercase letters with numbers and symbols to increase complexity of your password. A separate password for every account helps to thwart cyber criminals
 
  • Telephone scams such as Vishing where a caller calls claiming to be from a bank or company and attempts to get information about you and/or your account. You can protect yourself from this type of scam by:
    • Verifying the identity of the caller
    • Returning the call to a number that you confirm from another source such as a trusted website or paper statement
    • Being suspicious anytime your personal information is requested over the phone

 

Additionally, any paper statements containing your personal information should be safeguarded or shredded to protect from identity thieves going through your trash. Monitor your account activity regularly so that you can quickly identify any unauthorized activity. Report lost or stolen checks, debit cards, and ATM cards immediately.