Security Tips, Alerts and Bulletins
Important Alert
On May 1, 2012, North Valley Bank received reports that cardholders from various financial institutions had received automated and live telephone calls purportedly from the "fraud department" requesting card account information. In at least one case, the caller instructed the cardholder to call a telephone number to enter a code. Some calls have listed a "spoofed" caller identification number of 4043. These calls are fraudulent and have not been authorized by North Valley Bank. Please note that North Valley Bank or its card company will never call and ask you for your card number - we already have it. Please contact us immediately at 1-866-869-MORE (6673) if you received a suspicious call and provided card or account information.
Tips
Cash Manager: Top things our business customer can do to reduce the risk of online identity theft. Click here, for details.
View our online demo on ID Theft for Businesses.
Online Banking: Tips that everyone should know to reduce the risk of online identity theft. Click here, for details.
View our online demo on ID Theft Prevention.
Password Security: When it comes to the security of your personal financial information, it's important to recognize how to select good passwords and change them often. Click here, for details.
Viruses in the News
Gameover
In a new warning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warns account holders of a new spam email scheme that involves a type of malware called "Gameover." The scheme involves fake emails from the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), the Federal Reserve or the FDIC. These messages attempt to trick recipients into clicking on a link to resolve some type of issue with their accounts or a recent ACH transaction. Once you click on the link, Gameover takes over your computer, and thieves can steal usernames, passwords and your money.
What can you do?
As a reminder, North Valley Bank will never prompt you to enter your account number, social security number or debit card number to access Cash Manager or Online Banking. Do not enter this information into any website to gain access to your accounts. If you do input this information, contact the bank right away.
Do not click on links. Emails stating you've won the lottery orhave a relative in a foreign country that passed away or a relative in a foreign prison, are all scams that should be deleted. Do not respond to these scams.
Keep your computer and mobile device updated with the newest versions of anti-virus software.
Report any inaccuracies regarding your account activity to the bank.
SpyEye
Recent reports indicate that a new evolving virus called SpyEye is notable for its ability to inject new fields into a Web page, which can ask banking customers for sensitive information they normally would not be asked. The requested data can include logins and passwords or a debit card number. It can also hide fraudulent transfers of money out of an account by displaying an inaccurate bank balance; a feature designed with the goal of keeping users unaware of fraud.
What can you do?
Monitor your accounts frequently.
Do not click on pop ups that claim you've won a prize or state that you have a virus and need to download a program to remove it.
Do not click on links in emails. Emails stating you've won the lottery or have a relative in a foreign country that passed away or a relative in a foreign prison, are all scams that should be deleted. Do not respond to these scams.
Ramnit Worm
The Ramnit Worm is making its rounds on social networking sites. The worm is capable of spreading itself by stealing login credentials, logging in to the social networking site and transmitting malicious links to the user's friends. The primary objective for this worm is to gather login credentials for users accessing those sites. Users often use the same log-in and password credentials for multiple sites thereby allowing the thieves to login as the user to various social, email, financial and other sites the user normally accesses.
What can you do?
Use very different passwords for each system you access. In the event that one of your passwords is compromised, the sites you access will be limited to the ones you use for that specific password.
Change your password often. When picking a new password, don't use common words or a password close to the one you were just using.
Utilize strong passwords that contain a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid common words, your name, family names, pets' names, etc.
Phishing Alert
Fraudulent Email
North Valley Bank received reports on Thursday, October 14th that individuals and/or companies had received a fraudulent email that had the appearance of having been sent from North Valley Bank. The subject line of the email stated: "e-Services Access Blocked." The fake Web page linked to the email was subsequently shut down and reported to authorities. To learn more about the security of your information and how to avoid becoming a victim of phishing, click here. Customers that received this email and clicked on the link before the site was disabled should contact our Customer Resource Center immediately at 1-866-869-6673 (MORE).
Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)
North Valley Bank was notified on October 7, 2010 of a phishing scam targeting users of the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), a free service provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The recent fraudulent format uses an email message that claims to be a rejected tax payment and directs users to a fake website for additional information. If you receive one of these messages claiming to be from the EFTPS or IRS, don't open it or click any link. To verify whether a government or financial institution is trying to contact you, call that agency. Please feel free to contact us at 866-869-6673 (MORE) if you feel that you have been victimized by this scam or would like additional information.
American Bankers Association
American Bankers Association notified financial institutions that their name is being used in a fraudulent phishing e-mail that informs recipients that an 'unauthorized transaction' has been charged to their account using their bank card. The amount of the transaction is listed, and recipients are asked to click on a link to review the transaction. Recipients should not click on the link. Clicking on links in such e-mails could enable the fraudsters to download malicious software into victims' computers and steal passwords and other account identifiers.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) notified financial instiutions on Friday, July 2, 2010 that they had received numerous reports of a fraudulent email that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.
The subject line of the email states: "You need to check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage." The email tells recipients that "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets." The email then directs recipients to click on a link stating "You need to visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage."
This email and associated Website are fraudulent. Recipients should consider the intent of this email as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information or to load malicious software onto end users' computers and should not click on the link provided. The FDIC does not issue unsolicited emails to consumers.
The Electronic Payments Association (NACHA)
Fraudulent emails claiming to be from The Electronic Payments Association (NACHA). click here for more information.
Security Bulletins
Security Bulletin
Important message to users of Yahoo Mail, Hotmail and Gmail services: This is a courtesy notice to advise users of an ongoing phishing email scam that may try to compromise email contact lists and forward personal emails to a cybercriminal. Experts strongly recommend email users regularly check their forwarding settings for any email addresses that they do not recognize. If you believe your email has been hacked, you should change your password immediately.
Security Bulletin
Avoid becoming a victim of Anti-Virus Scams and subsequent unauthorized use of your debit or credit card. A victim of an anti-virus scam will encounter a pop-up designed to look as if it were generated from the victim's computer and indicating that a virus attack has occurred (e.g., "Security Warning: Application cannot be executed. The file rundll32.exe is infected. Do you want to activate your antivirus software now?"). In some cases, the victim's computer screen will freeze; to unfreeze the screen and remove the "virus," the victim is advised to immediately purchase fake anti-virus software. Once the victim's payment information is provided, the computer screen will unfreeze. Unfortunately, the fake anti-virus software is either non-functional or malware; the victim's computer will continue to be infected with viruses and malware.
In recent months, Visa cardholders have reported that they have also received a phone call from a fraudster claiming to represent a reputable security software firm (such as McAfee) and offering to provide technical support to help resolve a computer virus issue. The fraudster seeks the cardholder's approval, remotely accesses the cardholder's computer, and tries to sell the cardholder an anti-virus maintenance package, which is purchased with the cardholder's credit card.
Security Bulletin
The Electronic Payments Association (NACHA) has received reports that individuals and/or companies have received a fraudulent email that has the appearance of having been sent from NACHA. The subject line of the email states: “ACH Transaction Rejected.” The email includes a link or attachment that is almost certainly an executable virus with malware. Do not click on the link or attachment. Both the email and the related website or attachment are fraudulent. For more information, click here.
Security Bulletin
As reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): Recent FBI analysis reveals that cyber criminals engaging in ACH/wire transfer fraud have targeted businesses by responding via e-mail to employment opportunities posted online. Recently, more than $150,000 was stolen from a US business via unauthorized wire transfer as a result of an e-mail the business received that contained malware. The malware was embedded in an e-mail response to a job posting the business placed on an employment website and allowed the attacker to obtain the online banking credentials of the person who was authorized to conduct financial transactions within the company. This malware was connected to the ZeuS/Zbot Trojan, which is commonly used by cyber criminals to defraud US businesses. The FBI recommends that potential employers remain vigilant in opening the e-mails of prospective employees. Running a virus scan prior to opening any e-mail attachments may provide an added layer of security against this type of attack. The FBI also recommends that businesses use separate computer systems to conduct financial transactions.
Security Bulletin
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports from consumers who received an e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. The e-mail informs the recipient that "in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, federal, state and local governments…" the FDIC has withdrawn deposit insurance from the recipient's account "due to account activity that violates the Patriot Act." It further states deposit insurance will remain suspended until identity and account information can be verified using a system called "IDVerify." If consumers go to the link provided in the e-mail, it is suspected they will be asked for personal or confidential information, or malicious software may be loaded onto the recipient's computer. This e-mail is fraudulent. It was not sent by the FDIC. It is an attempt to obtain personal information from consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of the e-mail and should NOT under any circumstances provide any personal information through this media. The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the e-mails and disrupt the transmission. Until this is achieved, consumers are asked to report any similar attempts to obtain this information to the FDIC by sending information to alert@fdic.gov.
Security Bulletin
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) notified financial institutions that suspicious telephone calls claiming to be from FDIC employees are being reported. These calls are fraudulent. Recipients should consider them as an attempt to steal money or collect personal identifying information. The FDIC generally does not initiate unsolicited telephone calls to consumers and is not involved with the collection of debts on behalf of operating lenders and financial institutions. click here for more information.
Security Bulletin
North Valley Bank has received reports of automated calls to some of our customers indicating their debit card had been flagged for fraudulent activity. Please note that these calls are not originating from North Valley Bank and it is not our practice to request debit card information over the phone. Please call us directly at 1-866-869-MORE (6673) if you wish to verify the status of your card. click here for more information.
