Greetings!
I'm pleased to bring you Skowhegan Savings' first issue of our e-newsletter, the Skowhegan Advisor. This monthly newsletter will bring you interesting and informative articles about banking and financial trends, helpful tidbits and great coupons to local businesses. It is part of our commitment to providing you, our customer, with what you need and want from your bank: Integrity. Trust. Community.
I hope you enjoy the Advisor! Contact us with any questions or issues you'd like to learn more about. Also, each month the Advisor will feature a coupon to a local business located in the communities Skowhegan Savings serves.
Yours Sincerely,
John Witherspoon
President & CEO
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Don't Be Caught By "Phishers"
You've probably heard of the
term "phishing" before but what is it and what can you do to protect
yourself from this fraudulent activity?
"Phishing" refers
to when scam artists contact you via phone or email pretending to be with a
business or organization that you may deal with - for example, a bank, an
Internet service provider (ISP), online payment service, or even a government
agency. This contact is an attempt by these con artists to acquire sensitive
information, such as passwords, pin numbers or account numbers used in
accessing your financial accounts.
The most common form of
phishing scams are emails pretending to be from a legitimate bank or other
organization. You're often asked to "verify" your personal information
for some made-up reason like your account is about to be closed or your
information has been lost because of a computer problem. You can also get a
phone call from a company you trust with a recorded message claiming your
account has been compromised or needs updating or verification. In this method,
phishers frequently say they're from the fraud department of a business and ask
to verify your information because they suspect you may be a victim of identity
theft. You are then prompted to enter account information or credit card
numbers and anything typed into the phone gets digitally translated onto the
hard drive of the scammer's computer.
What You Need to Know About Phishing:
- Called "phishing"
when e-mail is used; "vishing" when you're contacted through telephone calls.
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Your bank will never contact you to ask for your
password, account number, or other account-accessing details.
- Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware
software, and a firewall and remember to update them regularly.
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Don't send personal or financial information through email.
- If you need to
reach an organization you do business with, call the number on your financial
statements or on the back of your credit card.
- Use caution when
providing your personal information. Only do business online with reputable
companies on secure sites.
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If you suspect a
message or call is part of a phishing scam, contact the institution to alert
them to the scam.
Signs to help you recognize if you're being phished:
You're asked to "Verify
your account."
Legitimate businesses should not ask you to send passwords, login names,
Social Security numbers, or other personal information through e-mail.
If
an email or pop-up message asks you to "Click
the link below to gain access to your account" - this is just a trick
to get you to login to a fake Web site, one that may contain all or part of a real company's name and are usually
"masked," meaning that the link you see will actually take you to a
Web site where the scam artist will ask you for personal information. To test
the validity of a suspicious link, try resting the mouse pointer on the link,
which will reveal the real Web address.
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Spring Cleaning!
What to Keep and What to Toss?
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Now that the spring weather is here, it's time to shake off the dust and get organized! Sometimes, you can get a little over-zealous in your spring cleaning and throw away things you should have kept.
To help you organize your records, here are tips on what to keep and when you can just tossit.
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Bank
statements: keep these for one year unless you need them for your taxes.
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Tax
records: keep these for 6 years, just to be safe.
- Utility
bills: toss them. These are just clutter unless you need them for your taxes.
- Insurance
records: keep these as long as the policy lasts.
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Important
Life documents: for items like your birth certificate, Social Security card,
diplomas and wills, always keep them in a safe place.
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Receipts
for major purchases: keep as long as you own the item.
- Deed
and title to your house: keep these in a safe place.
Remember, any
papers you're throwing away with personal information, like a Social Security or credit card number
should be shredded to avoid identity theft. |
Skowhegan Savings, founded
in 1869, is an independent mutual savings bank dedicated to strengthening the Maine families,
businesses and communities it serves. Our team of friendly, committed
employees takes pride in delivering personalized, competitive banking services
with integrity and putting the needs of our customers first. An
innovative and progressive approach to banking ensures our personal and
business customers enjoy a banking experience that is quick, easy and
convenient.
Our nine Maine branches
include two locations in Skowhegan, as well as locations in Belgrade,
Bingham, Dexter, Fairfield, Madison,
Norridgewock, and Pittsfield.
For more information, visit www.skowsavings.com
or contact Customer Service at 800.303.9511.
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