If you feel you may be a victim of fraud or identity theft, call our Customer Service Department immediately at 907.458.4236.

• Never give out sensitive personal information online or over the phone in response to an unsolicited request. Denali State Bank will never request that you submit confidential information over non-secure channels such as email or pop-up windows.

• Do not open attachments. Denali State Bank does not send unsolicited email attachments.

• Do not include information such as your driver’s license or Social Security Number on your preprinted checks.

• Memorize all Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), such as your ATM card PIN and online passwords. Do not keep such numbers in your wallet or purse.

• Avoid using easily guessed or learned information as your online password or PIN.

• Store new and cancelled checks and receipts in a secure place and shred unnecessary financial documents.

• Avoid writing your account number on envelopes, scraps of paper, or other items that may be thrown away later.

• Register your credit cards, ATM, check and debit cards with a liability protection service.

• If you stop receiving bills, statements or other monthly mailings, or if you do not receive a bill when expected, contact the issuing company immediately.

• Promptly collect incoming mail and use a locking mailbox if possible.

• Send outgoing mail from a secured mailbox or a post office.  Try to avoid leaving outgoing mail in your home mailbox.

• Shred all unwanted preapproved offers for credit cards, convenience checks or loans.

• Review your statements and billing notices thoroughly and regularly, ensuring the transactions were those made by you.

• Review your credit report annually for accuracy.  You can go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get a copy of your credit report. 

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Personal Computer Security
Your home computer can provide thieves with a wealth of personal information.  The following tips detail how you can add to the security of personal information on your home computer.

• Passwords and User IDs - You should have a distinct user ID and password. For each computer or online service you use, try to create the most bizarre and original password, and make sure you protect it. Commit your password to memory and do not share it with anyone. To create strong passwords, use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Longer passwords are better but make sure passwords are something you can remember without writing them down. Avoid using any of the following, which may be easily guessed:
  
  1. Your birth date or a family member’s birth date
  
  2. Names of family members or pets
  
  3. Social Security Number
  
  4. Phone numbers
  
  5. Dates of important events, such as anniversaries

• Install and Use Anti-Virus Programs - Viruses can infect a home computer through floppy disks, CDs, email, websites and downloaded files. Anti-virus programs help protect your computer against most viruses, worms, Trojans and other unwanted invaders that can make your computer “sick”. Viruses, worms and the like often perform malicious acts, such as deleting files, accessing personal data or using your computer to attack other computers. If an infected file is found, most anti-virus programs provide you with options of how to respond, such as removing the harmful item or deleting the file. Installing an anti-virus program and keeping it up to date is the best defense for your home computer.
  
  Email viruses and worms are fairly common. Here are steps you can take to help you decide what to do with every email message attachment you receive. You should only open and read a message that passes all of these tests:
  
  1. The Know Test – Is the email from someone you know?
  
  2. The Received Test – Have you received email from this person before?
  
  3. The Expect Test – Were you expecting an email with an attachment from this sender?
  
  4. The Sense Test – Does the email subject make sense based on who is sending the email? Would you expect this type of attachment from this person?
  
  5. The Virus Test – Does this email contain a virus? To determine this, you need to install and use an anti-virus program.
   

• Your Operating System - As vulnerabilities are discovered on operating systems and Internet browsers, “patches” are developed to block those who attempt to exploit the vulnerability. These patches are available to licensed users, usually through a download. Maintain current versions of your operating system and Internet browser.

• Other Products to Protect Your Computer - There are other products available to help you keep your computer secure. Many are available free and are downloadable from the web. These programs protect your computer from spyware, adware and other forms of potentially dangerous software.

• Firewalls: What Are They and How Do I Use Them? - Before you connect your computer to the Internet, you should install a firewall. A firewall can be generally described as a security guard for your home computer. The guard is a piece of software or hardware that helps protect your computer against hackers and many computer viruses and worms. With a firewall, you define which connections between your computer and other computers on the Internet are allowed and which are denied. There are firewall programs, free or purchased, that provide the capabilities you need to help make your home computer more secure.

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Phishing
All Internet users should be aware of the online scam known as “phishing” (pronounced “fishing”). Phishing involves the use of email messages that appear to come from your bank or another trusted source, but are actually designed to trick you into downloading a virus, or directing you to a website that asks you to disclose sensitive personal information.

Phishing emails typically ask you to click a link to visit a website.  At this website, you are asked to enter or confirm personal financial information such as your account numbers, passwords, Social Security Number or other data. Although these websites may appear legitimate, they are not. Thieves can collect whatever data you enter and use it to access your personal accounts.

To spot a Phishing scam, look for these warning signs:

• Language and tone. The message you will receive may urge you to act quickly by suggesting that your account is threatened. It may say that if you fail to update, verify or confirm your personal or account information, access to your accounts will be suspended. The wording may also be sloppy and contain misspellings.

• Requests for personal information. Scam emails typically ask for personal or account information such as:
  
  1. Account numbers
  2. Credit and check card numbers
  3. Social Security Numbers
  4. Online banking user IDs and passwords
  5. Mother’s maiden name
  6. Date of birth
  7. Other confidential information

• Non-secure web pages. Clever thieves can build a fake website that looks nearly identical to an authentic one. They can even alter the URL (the web address) that appears in your browser window. Beware of non-secure web pages that ask for sensitive information (secure sites will typically display a lock in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window). Here are some safety tips:
  
  1. Be suspicious of demanding messages. Messages threatening to terminate or suspend your account without your quick response should be treated as suspicious. A legitimate bank or business should not request personal information from you over an unsecured website. When in doubt, call the business’s customer service number (available on your account statement) to confirm the status of your account. Do not use telephone numbers found on the suspected website.
  
  2. Always type in the URL of the web page you need. Phishing scams rely on embedded links that take you to fake websites. It is safer to type your bank’s web address directly into your browser so you know you are visiting the legitimate site.
  
  3. Protect your password. Do not write down sensitive personal information such as your password or Social Security Number. Change your password frequently.
  
  4. Keep your computer software up to date. Download operating system patches and updates regularly.  Denali State Bank recommends that you also install anti-virus and firewall programs to protect your personal information.  Make sure these programs are also kept updated.     

Identity Theft
The United States Government has determined identity theft to be the fastest growing crime in America. Identity thieves use your personal information fruadulently, without your permission..

Identity theft can happen to anyone. Experts say your mailbox and garbage are the easiest ways criminals can access your personal information, but do not rule out emails and the Internet.

FDIC also offers identity theft Help.  They unveiled an online multimedia presentation about identity theft called "Don't Be an Online Victim: How to Guard Against Internet Thieves and Electronic Scams." It is available on the agency's website at http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/guard/index.html.  This presentation provides information on steps consumers should take to secure their computer and protect themselves from identity theft, as well as what they should do if they are victimized by the crime. 

To avoid being victimized, you can do the following:

• Never give out sensitive personal information online or over the phone in response to an unsolicited request. Denali State Bank will never request that you submit confidential information over non-secure channels such as email or pop-up windows. Do not open attachments, as Denali State Bank does not send unsolicited email attachments.

• Change your passwords regularly and make them complex, mixing letters, numbers and other characters (@, #, etc). Memorize them. Do not write down your passwords.

• Never share your passwords. Doing so allows complete access to your information.

• Do not include information such as your driver’s license or Social Security Number on your preprinted checks and do not carry your Social Security Card in your wallet.

• Memorize all Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), such as your ATM card PIN and online passwords. Do not keep such numbers in your wallet or purse.

• Avoid using easily guessed or learned information as your online password or PIN.

• Do not use credit cards on the Internet unless the site has a secured, encrypted system (look for “HTTPS” in the URL or the lock icon in the corner of your screen).

• Store new and cancelled checks and receipts in a secure place and shred unnecessary financial documents.

• Avoid writing your account number on envelopes, scraps of paper, or other items that may be thrown away later.

• Register your credit cards, ATM, check and debit cards with a liability protection service.

• If you stop receiving bills, statements or other monthly mailings, or if you do not receive a bill when expected, contact the issuing company immediately.

• Promptly collect incoming mail, and use a locking mailbox if possible.

• Send outgoing mail from a secured mailbox or a post office.  Try to avoid leaving outgoing mail in your home mailbox.

• Shred all unwanted preapproved offers for credit cards, convenience checks or loans.

• Review your statements and billing notices thoroughly and regularly, ensuring the transactions were those made by you.

• Review your credit report at least once per year for accuracy.