Stay Informed
We strive to provide our customers with the most up to date information we can, to help prevent anyone from being a victim of fraud. While we can't guarantee this will never happen, we will do our best to keep our customers informed. Please always remember Home State Bank will never call you asking for personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers, etc.
Glossary of Terms
There have been a few new words and phrases being thrown around lately in terms of fraud. Without knowing what these terms mean, it can be more confusing than it needs to be. Let us help explain a few of terms we've been learning about here at Home State Bank.
| Social Engineering is the art of manipulating, influencing, or deceiving you in order to gain control over your computer system. The hacker might use the phone, email, snail mail or direct contact to gain illegal access. Phishing and spear phishing, are examples. |
| Phishing (pronounced fishing) is a hacking technique that is the digital equivalent of “casting a net.” Phishing campaigns don’t target victims individually—they’re sent to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people. Emails claiming to be from popular social web sites, banks, auction sites, or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. |
| Spear Phishing is highly targeted and targets a single individual. Hackers do this by pretending to know you. It’s personal. |
| Smishing is a form of phishing that uses mobile phones as the attack platform. This form of attack has become increasingly popular due to the fact that people are more likely to trust a message that comes in through a messaging app on their phone than from a message delivered via email. |
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Vishing is short for "voice phishing," which involves defrauding people over the phone, enticing them to divulge sensitive information.
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Phishbait is an email crafted to attract prospective phishing victims to open an email and follow a malicious link.
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| Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is used to ensure that digital users are who they say they are by requiring that they provide at least two pieces of evidence to prove their identity. When you sign into an account for the first time on a new device or application (like a web browser) you need more than just the username and password. You need a second thing - what we call a second "factor" - to prove who you are. |
| Juice Jacking refers to the threat of malicious access gained to your phone or other USB devices when plugged into a public charging kiosk - such as at an airport or sporting event. |
| Malware is software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. |
| Scareware is malicious computer programs designed to trick a user into buying and downloading unnecessary and potentially dangerous software, such as fake antivirus protection. |
| Doxing is the action or process of searching for and publishing private or identifying information about a particular individual on the internet, typically with malicious intent. |
Fraud Alerts
Updated November 27, 2024
'Tis the Season to be Cybersecure
As the holiday season approaches, cybercriminals ramp up their attacks hoping to catch consumers off guard. This year, however, their attacks may be aided by AI and more difficult to spot. The IBA has collected best practices and common scams to be aware of. Share this information with your consumers to help them and your bank stay safe. In this case, more knowledge equals better security, and that’s a gift everyone can use.
General Holiday Awareness Tips
- Treat every email and advertisement with suspicion. Don’t respond to unsolicited emails that ask you to click on a link or download an app to access a deal. Rather than clicking on a link from an email or text, go directly to the site of the company purportedly offering the deal. Watch out for spelling errors or incorrect grammar on email or text as these are typical red flags that help identify bogus content.
- Is it too good to be true? Look out for huge discounts on gift items, especially on social media posts or unfamiliar websites. These types of scams will impersonate major brands or nonexistent retailers to entice you with great deals for products you'll never receive.
- Steer clear of Wi-Fi woes. Avoid conducting any business online (making a purchase, donating, accessing password-protected sites) while using a public Wi-Fi network unless you employ a virtual private network (VPN).
- Avoid peculiar payment methods. Any time you are prompted to make a purchase or donation by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift card, it’s a scam.
2024 Trending Scams
- Charity scams: Bogus charities exploit seasonal goodwill via fake websites, door-to-door solicitations and telemarketing. Pushy charity telemarketers could be an indicator that they are imposters. Legitimate charities will accept your donations on your timeline. Be sure to do your research before you donate.
- Credit card decline scams: It’s always a great idea to pay for gifts by credit card because you can dispute charges and limit the damage if the transaction was fraudulent. However, this new scam declines your credit card then asks for a second card. You’ll be charged for purchase on both cards. If your purchase declines initially — and you believe it should not — don’t provide a second card, contact the card issuer of the initial card instead.
Delivery scams: During the gift-giving season, people are buying online and sending gifts. Beware of phishing emails from fraudsters posing as UPS, FedEx, U.S. Postal Service (USPS), or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They also send messages (SMS/MMS), so be wary of content on your phone as well.
- Gift card scams: Criminals steal the numbers off gift cards from a rack in a busy grocery store or big box retailer. Once you loadmoney onto the card, it gets siphoned off. Buy gifts cards online, instead of from a retail rack, where the cards can be tampered with. When receiving a gift card as a present, register it if that’s an option, and use it sooner rather than later.
- Porch pirates: With holiday shopping and shipping comes package theft. In 2023, an estimated 3 in 4 Americans experienced package poaching. To outsmart porch pirates, retrieve a package as soon as it arrives. Have the sender require a signature, if possible. Also consider picking up your package somewhere else, such as shipping to your nearest store or your workplace.
- Travel scams: Criminals may use emails, texts or spoofed websites offering travel deals, such as free or heavily discounted tickets or travel packages, to get credit card information or download malware. To protect yourself from travel scams, determine if a website is real. Don't trust phone numbers as they can be easily spoofed. Also, be wary of travel businesses that ask for payment before confirming reservations.
--Information provided by Iowa Bankers Assocation Bank Note Newsletter
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Give to a charity, not a scam
There’s no shortage of good causes to donate to this holiday season. But before you give somewhere new, make sure you’re not donating to a scam.
Scammers are pros at tricking people into donating. They’ll often even use names that sound a lot like other charities you’ve heard of to get your money. Here’s how to make sure your money is going to support the cause you care about:
- Don’t be rushed or pressured into giving, especially over the phone. If it’s a request to donate on social media, take the time to make sure the person who shared it with you knows the organization or person fundraising.
- Research the charity before you give. Search the name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.” Organizations like the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch, or Candid also let you research charities.
- Don’t trust your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information. Calls can look like they come from your local area code, or from a specific organization, even if they don’t. In reality, the caller could be anywhere in the world.
- Check out the charity’s website. Does it give you details about the programs you want to support or how it uses donations? How much of your donation will go directly to support the programs you care about? If you can’t find detailed information about a charity’s mission and programs, be suspicious.
- Pay attention to how you pay. If a charity asks you to pay with cryptocurrency, by wiring money through Western Union or MoneyGram, with a payment app, or with a gift card, it’s likely a scam. Donating by credit card or check is safer.
--Information from Federal Trade Commision Consumer Advice
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75% of Black Friday Spam Emails are Scams
Three out of four Black Friday-themed spam emails are scams, according to researchers at Bitdefender. Most of these scams are targeting users in the US and Europe.
“This year, 77% of all Black Friday-themed spam (by volume) analyzed by Bitdefender’s Antispam Lab team was classified as scams, while only 22% was identified as marketing lures—emails designed to drive traffic to legitimate but overly aggressive promotions,” the researchers write.
“In 2023, 7 out of every 10 Black Friday-themed spam emails were scams, compared to 2024, when this figure rose to 3 out of every 4 emails. This 7% increase in scam prevalence underscores the greed and daring of cybercriminals, who increasingly leverage fake offers and phishing tactics to exploit consumer shopping behaviors and trends.”
Threat actors are tailoring their scams to specific regions, using familiar social engineering techniques to trick people into acting quickly.
“As in our previous Black Friday scam trends analysis, scammers leaned heavily on impersonating trusted brands and leveraging psychological tactics such as urgency and exclusivity,” Bitdefender says.
“Fraudulent emails promised exclusive or early access to Black Friday deals and rewards in exchange for survey participation or irresistible discounts on mystery boxes for submitting payment details. Counterfeit Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton bags, and Ray-Ban sunglasses are among the recurring themes and usual suspects in this year’s Black Friday scam agenda, with scammers luring shoppers with realistic websites and too-good-to-be-true prices.”
Predictably, these scams have steadily increased in the days ahead of Black Friday. Similar shopping scams should be expected to continue throughout the holiday season, however.
“Spam activity surged in the lead-up to Black Friday, with a noticeable uptick starting in late October,” the researchers write. “According to data gathered between Oct. 1 and Nov. 17, 2024, Black Friday spam rates peaked at over 6% of total Black Friday Spam email volume, showing a significant increase compared to early October. The spikes in activity align with the shopping season's momentum as scammers leverage the heightened consumer interest in deals.”
--Information from KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training Blog
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Tips to Help Safeguard Your Passwords:
If you’re like most people and recycle the same password, or use a close derivative of it, across multiple accounts, then you’re making things even easier for attackers and put yourself at additional risk of identity theft and fraud. The most common password of 2020 was ‘123456’, followed by ‘123456789’. Coming in at number four was the one and only ‘password’.
ESET’s Phil Muncaster's offers the following advice to help safeguard your passwords:
- “Use only strong and unique passwords or passphrases on all your online accounts, especially your banking, email and social media accounts
- “Avoid reusing your login credentials across multiple accounts and making other common password mistakes
- “Use a password manager, which will store strong, unique passwords for every site and account, making log-ins simple and secure
- “Change your password immediately if a provider tells you your data may have been breached
- “Only use HTTPS sites for logging in
- “Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails
- “Only download apps from official app stores
- “Invest in security software from a reputable provider for all your devices
- “Ensure all operating systems and applications are on the latest version
- “Never log-on to an account if you’re on public Wi-Fi; if you do have to use such a network, use a VPN”
--Information from KnowBe4 CyberHeist Newsletter & Blog
Tips for Online Shopping
With more and more people doing their shopping online, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued some general tips to keep shoppers safe.
- Software Updates
Whether shopping from your laptop or tablet, make sure your operating system (OS) and antivirus software is installed and up to date.
- Password Protection
Make sure you don’t use the same password for multiple accounts. When possible, use multi-factor authentication.
- Avoid Public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi networks are not secure and should never be used to conduct online shopping or banking transactions.
- Know Your Vendor
Stick to doing business with established companies you know. Legitimate vendors us Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to protect your information.
Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft
- Keep passwords secure and always shred documents that contain any sensitive information.
- Do not carry your social security card with you.
- Sign the back of your debit and/or credit cards.
- Never provide a caller with your personal information such as your date of birth or your social security number. This information is not a requirement for placing an order at an e-commerce web site.
- Never give any of your personal information to anyone you don't know or trust.
- Take advantage of electronic banking services, such as E-Statements, Online Banking, Mobile Banking. By using these services, you can avoid sensitive information being left in your mailbox.
- Know who you are dealing with before providing and confirming any personal information to mail order, telephone or internet merchants.
- Review your bank statements each month and know your billing cycles. If you know you have a bill due and you haven't seen the bill, call the company to investigate.
- Review your credit report annually to see if anything seems unusual, for example, like an account you didn't open or charges you didn't make. You are entitled to one free credit report a year.
See Additional Safety Tips
My Identity Has Been Stolen. Now What Do I Do?!
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If you have been the victim of identify theft, here are some steps to help you get your life back on track:
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report.
- When you place an alert on your credit, this will prevent any other account from being opened.
- You can request a report to see if any charges seem suspicious.
- Close the accounts you think could be affected.
- Contact someone in the fraud or security department of your financial institution.
- Follow up in writing with copies of any supporting documents.
- If any debits exist on your accounts, or a new account has been opened, ask the financial institution for the correct paperwork to dispute them.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- When you file with the FTC, you are providing information to help law enforcement officials track down thieves.
- File a report with the local police department
- Filing a report, along with a complaint to the FTC, can give you certain protections to ensure your identity can be protected and restored.
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Ways to Protect Your ID
Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and Privacy Laws we are required to ensure the confidentiality of a consumer's information. Here are ways a consumer can protect their ID's from theft:
- Monitor credit annually
- Use a P.O. Box
- Opt-out of junk mail / internal marketing lists / offers of credit
- Enroll in the "DO NOT CALL" registry with FTC (Federal Trade Commission); it's FREE!
Questions?
If you have any questions about any of the services we offer, please call us at 877-474-5511 or 712-933-5511, Email us, or stop in to see us during normal business hours.
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