At First Internet Bank, we want to help you protect yourself from becoming an unwitting victim of identity theft and online fraud. Here are some steps you can take to protect your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.
Online
In a common scam known as “phishing,” the victim receives an email message, supposedly from a particular bank, stating an online banking password had been lost or that an account has been frozen. The email provides a link to the site where the customer is asked to log in to correct the situation. The site is fraudulent, however. Criminals use this fake site to harvest the victim’s user name and password for the authentic site, and they may capture other information from the victim as well.
You will never receive a message from a First Internet Bank employee or department asking for your online banking password. If you receive any such suspicious message, please notify First Internet Bank to confirm the legitimacy of the message.
To avoid this scam or others like it, use a bookmark (also known as a Favorites link) to log in to your First IB account as well as other sites that contain sensitive or personal information. Do not follow a link that may be contained in an email message.
By phone
Be wary if someone calls you asking for your credit card number or social security number – or asks you to call another number to give up personal information. This type of scam is known as “vishing”. This type of scam has also extended to mobile phones through text messages; this scam is known as “smishing.”
In “vishing” and “smishing” scams, criminals set up an automated dialing system to text or call people. The victims receive messages like: “There’s a problem with your account,” or “Your ATM card needs to be reactivated,” and are directed to a phone number or website asking for personal information. Armed with that information, criminals can steal from victims’ bank accounts, charge purchases on their charge cards, create a phony ATM card, etc.
Sometimes, if a victim logs onto one of the phony websites with a smartphone, they could also end up downloading malicious software that could give criminals access to anything on the phone. With the growth of mobile banking and the ability to conduct financial transactions online, smishing and vishing attacks may become even more attractive and lucrative for cyber criminals.
You will never receive a call from First Internet Bank or any of its service providers asking for your card number.
When calling your bank, credit card company, Internet Service Provider, or any other company to discuss your personal information, use a number that appears on a statement or on the back of your card. Do not use a number that may be provided to you in a voicemail message or an automated call.
Other sources of information
For more information on how to protect your identity, visit a website created by the centralized government task force on identity theft at http://www.idtheft.gov/. The Federal Trade Commission has also published a brochure on ways to protect your identity. Order your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus each year and make sure all the information is correct.
Important note: First Internet Bank does not provide, and is not responsible for, the products, services, or overall website content available at the third-party sites listed above. All transactions and agreements on sites listed above are solely negotiated between you and the corresponding service provider. First Internet Bank neither expresses nor implies any responsibility for such agreements or transactions. Additionally, the privacy policy for the First Internet Bank website does not apply to linked websites. You may wish to consult the privacy disclosures of the above referenced sites before transacting with these third parties.
