|
Fraudulent Email and Web Sites
First Midwest Bank is committed to providing you with the best service in a secure environment. In an effort to assist our clients, we want to make you aware of potential online fraud.
How to Protect Your Business Computer
How to Protect Your Personal Computer
Online fraud occurs when someone poses as a legitimate company to obtain personal data such as credit card numbers, bank account information, ATM PINs, Social Security numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information. In return, they will conduct illegal transactions on your accounts. Often called "phishing" or "spoofing," the most current methods include fraudulent e-mails, websites, pop-up windows, or any combination of these. Virus protectors and firewalls do not catch most phishing scams because they do not contain suspect codes. Spam filters let them pass because they appear to come from legitimate sources.
A phishing scam is an identity theft attempt that arrives via email or pop-up. It appears to come from a legitimate source such as a trusted business or financial institution, and includes an urgent request for personal information. The message usually invokes some critical need to update account information immediately. By clicking on a link provided in the e-mail, you are led to an official-looking website. However, it is not. This fraudulent site goes directly to the thief, so he or she can steal your identity and charge on your credit cards or commit crimes in your name.
It's virtually impossible for most people to tell they are the target of a phishing scam by looking at the site alone. However, clues in the address can sometimes reveal the deception. Similar looking characters might be substituted in the spelling of the link for the real character so that an "N" is used in place of an "M". An example of this may look like "firstnidwest.com" instead of "firstmidwest.com". Other times an IP address - a numerical address - is used to hide the fact that the link is not taking the victim to a real site.
The best way to protect yourself from phishing scams is to avoid supplying personal information to an email request. If you believe the request might not be legitimate, call the company's customer service department to verify before providing any information. Do not use phone numbers contained in the e-mail (if any are included). If you receive a link to a website, do not click on it. Rather, manually enter the required address in your browser.
If you have encountered a suspicious email, website, or pop-up window do not respond with personal information. Click on the link below and send us the details of the scam. A First Midwest Bank Representative may contact you for additional information or clarification.
If you have replied with personal information to a suspicious e-mail, website, or pop-up window claiming to be affiliated with First Midwest Bank, please call us at 1.800.322.3623
| 
