Security Center

Be sure to check back to this site often for any special consumer alerts which could affect you, your family or your business. Hawthorn Bank is committed to helping keep you informed with any information that is pertinent to your financial health.

HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FRAUD ALERT (posted 01/14/10)

The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause. Please visit the Haitian Earthquake page on the FBI website for more information on potential Haitian earthquake scam attempts.

Also be sure to access the FBI website and view other potential cyber scams and fraud alerts.

FRAUDULENT EMAIL CLAIMING TO BE FROM THE FDIC (posted 10/29/09)

Simply Put: A phishing email is currently circulating that appears to be from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The email includes a link that will forward users to a fraudulent website that will request personal information and attempt to infect the user’s machine with viruses. We have already detected infections at several financial institutions as a result of this email.

Attack Details: The email appears to be from “consumeralerts@fdic.gov” and the subject of the email states “you need to check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage”. The email also includes a link and asks users to visit the link and verify personal information. When the link is clicked, the user is forwarded to a page similar to an FDIC page, and the page requests personal information. To make matters worse, when the link is clicked, the page also automatically downloads at least two malicious executables. If you receive an email like this, delete it immediately without opening.

Reference Links: FDIC Advisory (http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/alerts/index.html)

CELL PHONE TEXT MESSAGING SCAM (posted 03/27/09) – A SMS text messaging scam is becoming more prevalent in the last few weeks and has been reported in the US, and most recently in MIssouri. Similar to phishing, this scam is done via SMS text messages on cell phones and is known as SMiSing. In the most recent case, the text of the SMS text is typically along the lines of “somone posted your full personal and banking info at www.websitename.com, you must remove it now” then it prompts you to go to a website which downloads a malicious program to your phone that will gather your contact and personal info stored on the phone. If you have a Blackberry or any PDA connected to a network, the Trojan will also propagate into the network. The text does vary slightly in some of the samples seen. The bottom line is that the same rules apply as to emails – if you don’t know the sender immediately delete the text and never follow links unless proven trustworthy.

The most recent round of SMiSing is reported to be originating in the UK and Germany but early indications are that people are falling for the scam just as they do with emails which means the fraud attempts will only grow in popularity.

DEBIT CARD SECURITY (posted 03/03/09) – With all the recent security concerns surrounding the use of debit cards, Pulse has created a new website for consumers that has answers to debit card questions as well as tips on keeping your card and PIN safe. Please visit www.debitfacts.org.

ONLINE BANKING SCAM (posted 02/25/09) – Fraudulent emails are being reported from customers in regards to our online banking website. The below email is an example of the email that is directing customers to a fraudulent site. Please be aware of this. Should you receive any customer calls or emails regarding it, please forward the fraudulent email to cashmgmt@hawthornbank.com so we can investigate and eliminate the site. And as always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Cash Management Department at 1-877-4HAWTHORN.

FRAUDULENT EMAIL EXAMPLE:

Dear NetTeller Banking Customer,

This letter is addressed to you as your Bank provides NetTeller Banking Service. Please notice that a new version of a NetTeller Confirmation Form has been released. This form synchronizes Customers’ data with its account entries on a central NetTeller banking server. Each NetTeller Banking user is required to fill in the NetTeller Confirmation Form.

Please, click the link below to access the NetTeller Confirmation Form. In order to fill in the form correctly, please follow the instructions on the website.

“Fraudulent link was placed here”

NetTeller apologizes for the inconveniences caused to you, and is very grateful for your cooperation.

NetTeller Banking

TEXT MESSAGING SCAM (posted 01/08/09) – We have recently learned of a scam in which a customer receives a text message to their cell phone stating their card has been deactivated and to call 800-866-3077 to reactivate their card. When they call this number, it is an automated system asking them to enter their card number. Please be aware that this is a phishing scam and in no way legitimate. Additionally, this threat is not specifically targeted at Hawthorn Bank customers but is being sent out to random cell phone numbers. If you have any questions regarding this scam or any other concerns related to the security of your personal information, please call our Cardholder Fraud Coordinator, Dorene Boehler, at (660) 885-2241 Extension 3044.

IMPORTANT REMINDER – As a reminder, Hawthorn Bank will not contact you requesting your debit card number, PIN or any Online Banking access information. If this information is requested from you please do not provide it and contact Hawthorn Bank immediately at 1-877-442-9846.

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1-877-4HAWTHORN

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