Warning - Phishing Scams Are On The Rise

An ever-increasing number of "phishing" scams are targeting online banking consumers each month. Here's how a typical phishing scam works:

A con artist sends a bogus e-mail message to a list of e-mail addresses. The phony spam e-mail message purports to be from a bank, and asks the e-mail recipient to provide account information to assist the bank in its efforts to crack down on identity theft. The e-mail message is usually very authentic looking and includes company logos and copyright information. These messages typically state something about the recipient's account being temporarily suspended if account information is not provided. A link is provided within the e-mail message which takes the consumer to an official-looking website. The site asks for personal information such as account numbers, pin numbers, social security numbers, birth dates, etc. Participation in the scam by the consumer results in identity theft -- and bad consequences.

Businesses that are commonly targeted by "phishers" include banks, credit card companies, brokerage firms, ebay, PayPal, Internet service providers, as well as a variety of online retail e-commerce sites.

Tips On How To Avoid Getting Hooked By Phishing Scams
 

  1. Our bank and other legitimate companies don't ask for financial or personal information via e-mail. If you get an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for this type of information, do not reply or click on the link in the message. If you are questioning the legitimacy of an e-mail regarding your account, contact us immediately at 718.855.8500.

  2. If you are suspicious about the website, try entering bogus account information. Our online banking site will return the following statement in response to bogus information: You have entered an invalid User ID or Password. Please try again.  If the information is accepted, the site is probably a fraud. Please contact us immediately.

     

  3. NEVER send personal or financial information via e-mail. E-mail is not a secure method of transmitting personal information.

     

  4. Initiate online transactions by typing our web address into your browser's Address Bar (brooklynbank.com) rather than clicking on a link provided within an e-mail message that supposedly takes you to the organization's site. Con artists can spoof an organization's web address shown on an e-mail message's link and send you to a bogus site instead.

     

  5. When you are asked to provide personal or financial information through our website, be sure to look for the indicators that the site is secure like a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a web address that begins with "https:" -- the "s" stands for "secure." Be sure to follow #3 above before doing this step.

     

  6. Review bank account and credit card statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges.

Be sure to report any suspicious activity to the us at 718.855.8500 or Contact Brooklyn Federal