1

Protective Distance When using an ATM, be aware of others behind you in line. Position yourself at the keypad to prevent someone from observing your personal identification number (PIN). Be attentive to others in front of you using the ATM, stay a courteous distance away. Allow the person to complete their transaction before you approach the machine.

2

Be Ready Fill out deposit forms and have your card ready when you approach the ATM. When your transaction is complete, pocket your card and cash until you are safely locked in your car or home.

3

Drive-up ATMs Keep your car doors locked, windows rolled up, and the engine running during your transaction.

4

ATM Card = Cash Guard your ATM card as though it were cash, checks, or a credit card

5

Protect Your PIN(s) Keep your PIN private. Don't write it down and carry it with you. Memorize it or keep it at home. Position yourself in front of the keypad to prevent someone from observing your PIN.

6

Save Your Receipts Do not leave your receipt in the ATM machine. Keep it to record the transaction and to reconcile against your monthly statement.

7

Be Aware Stay alert to your surroundings, especially at night. Park in well-lighted areas and have someone accompany you. If you ever notice anything suspicious, leave immediately and use another ATM location or come back later.

8

Report Suspicious Activity If you notice anything unusual, cancel your transaction, pocket your card, and leave immediately. Go to a safe place and call the police if you suspect dangerous or illegal activity.

9

Lender's Regret Never lend your ATM cards out. Your ATM card is your responsibility. Be sure you keep track of where all your cards are located.

10

Report Lost or Stolen Cards Immediately Call the bank as soon as you realize your card is lost or stolen. If you witness a crime, report it to the police and to the operator of the ATM machine.

1

Sign Immediately As soon as your card arrives in the mail, sign the back and keep duplicate cards in a safe place.

2

Memorize your PIN Don't write your personal identification number (PIN) down and carry it with you. Leave the number at home.

3

Thank You For Asking Tell merchants thank you for asking to see your identification or verifying your signature when making purchases with your debit/credit card. This verification process is intended to protect your card from fraudulent purchases. When using your card for purchases, make sure the merchant returns it to you and that it is your card.

4

Take Your Receipt and Save It Always ask for your debit/credit card receipts when making purchases and tear up any carbon copies. Reconcile your receipts against your monthly statement to verify any suspicious activity. Report any unauthorized transactions immediately. Once you have reconciled the statement, you can tear up the receipts if you want. But do it in the safety of your own home.

5

Verify Statements Be sure to review your monthly statements carefully to assure the amounts charged are what you authorized. Watch for duplications. Especially if you use your debit/credit card for electronic or phone purchases.

6

Keep It Private Store your statements in a safe place.

7

Out of Sight Never leave your purse or wallet unattended and always keep your debit/credit cards out of sight.

8

Lender's Regret Never lend your debit/credit cards out. Your debit/credit card is your responsibility. Be sure you keep track of where all your cards are located.

9

Keep A List of Contacts Write down your account numbers and telephone numbers to contact if your cards should be lost or stolen.

10

Report Immediately If cards are lost or stolen, you should report it immediately, no matter where you are, to minimize loss and liability.

1

Guard Your Numbers Social Security Number or Bank Account Numbers - Don't give out over the phone unless 'you' initiate the call and know the person or organization on the other end. Never give this information to a stranger, even one claiming to be your bank. Don't write your personal identification numbers (PIN) down - memorize them. Refrain from printing your social security number or credit card numbers on your checks.

2

Report It Immediately Lost or stolen checks can be blocked by your bank, just give them the numbers involved. Don't leave new check orders in your mailbox for extended periods of time and verify new deliveries are complete (assure none have been stolen).

If your Debit card is stolen, contact us immediately at 1-618-241-6550.

3

Store in Safe Place All cancelled or new checks. Leave your social security card, passport, or birth certificate in a safe place - don't carry them with you.

4

Notify the Bank If anyone suspicious calls asking for account information to 'verify a statement' or 'award a prize.' Banks have your account information and don't need to call you. BEWARE: Of fraudulent web sites and e-mails requesting personal information - refer to SPOOF web sites and phishing page for more information.

5

Guard Your Info ATM personal identification numbers (PIN) and receipts are access tools for thieves. Don't write your PIN down. Keep them protected.

6

Mail Solicitations Don't just throw pre-approved credit offers away, tear or shred them up so thieves can not use them to assume your identify. Tear or shred any other financial information before they are disposed in the trash.

7

Mailbox Protection Don't leave your mail in the mailbox for pickup. Drop them in a secure, official drop box of the U.S. Postal Service. Thieves could use your mail to steal your identity.

8

Bills in the Mail As much as you hate receiving bills in the mail, be sure they are arriving on time. If not, contact the company to find out why. Someone may have put a false change-of-address notice on you to divert your personal information to another address for his or her access.

9

Review Bills Carefully If they include suspicious items, investigate them immediately to head off any possible fraud before it occurs.

10

Review Credit Reports Periodically contact one of the major credit reporting companies to review your file and verify the information is correct. As part of the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to an annual free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies through www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228. You can obtain a copy of your credit report at any time for a small fee through the three major credit bureaus:

Equifax® PO Box 740250, Atlanta, GA 30374-0250, 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com

Experian® PO Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013, 1-888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) www.experian.com

TransUnion® PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634, 1-800-680-7289 www.tuc.com

1

Immediately contact your bank and credit card providers by calling the phone number listed on your statements.

2

Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by one of the following methods:

By Internet www.ftc.gov

By Phone Toll-free 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TDD: 202-326-2502

By Mail Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580

3

Contact the three major credit reporting agencies to put yourself on 'Fraud Alert' and request a copy of your credit report:

Equifax® PO Box 740250, Atlanta, GA 30374-0250, 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com

Experian® PO Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013, 1-888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) www.experian.com

TransUnion PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634, 1-800-680-7289 www.tuc.com

4

Cancel all accounts that have fraudulent activity or are at risk

5

Contact your local law enforcement agency

6

If your mail has been stolen, contact the U.S. Postal Service

7

Keep detailed records of your efforts to resolve any theft of your identity, including:

- Log the date, time, and amount of any unauthorized activity on your accounts

- Log the date, time, duration, and cost of any phone calls

- Log the date and cost of any mailings

Identity Theft Resource Center www.idtheftcenter.org

National Consumer League's Fraud Information Center www.fraud.org

Social Security Administration - 1-800-772-1213 www.ssa.gov

US Department of Justice - Identity Theft & Fraud www.usdoj.gov

1

Virus Updates Update your virus protection software regularly, or when a new virus alert is announced. Computer viruses can have a variety of damaging effects, including introducing program code that causes your computer to send out files or other stored information. Be on the alert for security repairs and patches that you can download from your operating system's web site.

2

Security Patches Install security patches when issued by the software (operating system and browser) vendor. Some applications have the ability to alert you when updates are available for download.

3

Firewall Protection Use a firewall program, especially if you use a high-speed Internet connection like cable, DSL or T-1, which leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day. The firewall program will allow you to stop uninvited guests from accessing your computer. Without it, hackers can take over your computer and access your personal information stored on it or use it to commit other crimes.

4

Use a Secure Browser Software that encrypts or scrambles information you send over the Internet - to guard the security of your online transactions. Be sure your browser has the most up-to-date encryption capabilities by using the latest version available from the manufacturer. You also can download some browsers for free over the Internet. When submitting information online, there are two ways to see if you are on a secured web site:

Look for the padlock in the lower right (Internet Explorer) or left (Netscape) corner of your browser window; and Look in the address window above, the letters https:// should appear in front of the address of the form screen (instead of the non-secure http:// address) .

5

Disconnect Internet Shut off or disconnect your computer from the Internet when not in use.

6

Logout Always log off from your Internet Banking session using the 'Exit' button.

7

Computer Disposal Before you dispose of a computer, delete personal information. Deleting files using the keyboard or mouse commands may not be enough because the files may stay on the computer's hard drive, where they may be easily retrieved. Use a "wipe" utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive. It makes the files unrecoverable.

Downloading & Storage Tips

1

Download With Caution Do not download files sent to you by strangers or click on hyperlinks from people you don't know. Opening a file could expose your system to a computer virus or a program that could hijack your modem.

2

Storing Financial Information Try not to store financial information on your laptop unless absolutely necessary. If you do, use a strong password - a combination of letters (upper and lowers case), numbers and symbols.

3

Automatic Login Information Do not use an automatic login feature which saves your user name and password so you don't have to enter them each time you login or enter a site. (Turn off through IE - Tools - Internet Options - Content tab - Personal Information section, choose AutoComplete button)

4

Log Off Always log off or exit when you're finished. That way, if your computer gets stolen, it's harder for the thief to access your personal information.

Surfing Web Sites & Shopping Online

1

Privacy Policies Look for web site privacy policies. They answer questions about maintaining accuracy, access, security, and control of personal information collected by the site, as well as how information will be used, and whether it will be provided to third parties. If you don't see a privacy policy, consider surfing elsewhere.

2

Background Check Shop only at reputable Web stores. If you've never heard of the company before, ask around before sending in your credit card. The National Fraud Information Center (http://www.fraud.org/) keeps an eye out for shady Internet dealings and offers consumer tips on its web site.

3

Secure Servers Most legitimate Web merchants offer secure transactions. There are two ways to see if you are on a secured web site:

Look for the padlock in the lower right (Internet Explorer) or left (Netscape) corner of your browser window

Look in the address window above, the letters https:// should appear in front of the address of the form screen (instead of the non-secure http:// address)

4

Secure Certificates Legitimate Web sites maintain current certificates for secure pages or applications (see #3 - padlock or https). To authenticate the site's secure Web page, follow these steps:

On the secure Web page, click on the File menu and go to Properties

Click on the button at the bottom of the screen called 'Certificates' - it should include the Web address (URL) with which the security certificate was issued and the validity dates.

5

Charge It Use a credit card rather than a check or your ATM card when you shop online. By law, you are liable for no more than $50 for unauthorized charges, in the unlikely event that someone does steal your account information. You can also designate one credit card specifically for online purchases so it's easier to track the activity. NEVER give your bank account number to a Web merchant. It's just too tempting...

6

Too Good To Be True Avoid purchasing a product from a merchant or an auction site where the deal looks 'too good to be true' because it usually is.

7

Healthy Skepticism If you receive an e-mail from an unknown address that bursts with vague promises of wealth and glory, you know what to do: Trash it. Ditto for Web sites offering the latest greatest way to make thousands of dollars a week by working from home. It's easy to fake an e-mail address, so pay more attention to the message contents rather than to the domain it supposedly came from.

How It Works

A criminal initiates an e-mail with a seemingly legitimate message directing consumers to a Web site or including an embedded form to validate or update their personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers, passwords, etc. These 'SPOOF' Web sites are setup for the sole purpose of stealing the consumer's identity and assets or engaging in other illegal acts.

The perpetrators go to extreme measures to convince the consumers that it is a legitimate message from someone whom they already do business with, such as a bank. Techniques used are false 'from' addresses or a seemingly legitimate bank logo, web link, or graphics lifted from the actual bank's Web site. The fraudsters usually refer to some kind of technical data loss or clerical error.

1

If you receive an e-mail that warns you, with little or no notice, that an account of yours will be shut down unless you reconfirm your billing or account information, do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail. Instead, contact the company cited in the e-mail using a telephone number or Web site address you know to be genuine.

2

Avoid e-mailing personal and financial information. Before submitting financial information through a Web site, confirm that you are on a secured Web page:

Look for the padlock in the lower right (Internet Explorer) or left (Netscape) corner of your browser window

Look in the address window above, the letters https:// should appear in front of the address of the form screen (instead of the non-secure http:// address)

3

Legitimate Web sites maintain current certificates for secure pages or applications (see #2 - padlock or https). To authenticate the site's secure Web page, follow these steps:

On the secure Web page, click on the File menu and go to Properties

Click on the button at the bottom of the screen called 'Certificates' - it should include the Web address (URL) with which the security certificate was issued and the validity dates

4

Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.

5

Report suspicious activity to the FTC. Send the actual spam to spam@uce.gov. If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC's Identity Theft Web site (www.ftc.gov/idtheft) to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft.

6

Report the phishing attack to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center, at www.ic3.gov.

7

Visit www.ftc.gov/spam to learn other ways to avoid e-mail scams and deal with deceptive spam. The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.

8

To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.