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Security Center

Online Fraud

Phishing and Spoofing

The most common types of Online Fraud are Phishing and Spoofing. These usually come in the form of fraudulent e-mails that appear to originate from legitimate sources. These e-mails ask customers to verify personal information (phishing) or link to counterfeit (or spoofed) Websites that appear real.

Watch for e-mails that:

• Urge you to act quickly because your account may be suspended or closed, or to update your personal information.
• Don't address you by name, but use a more generic one like "Dear Valued Customer."
• Ask for account numbers, passwords, Access IDs, or other personal information.

Progressive Bank will NEVER ask for sensitive information, such as account numbers, Access IDs or passwords, via e-mail.

Other Common Fraud Methods

Criminals may also use other contact methods to obtain your private information. These include text messages (also known as short message phishing or "smishing") and through phone calls (also known as voice phishing or "vishing"). You might receive a text message, phone call, or voice mail warning that your account may be suspended, frozen, or compromised unless you visit a particular website or call a designated phone number where you will then be asked for personal information. These scare tactics are designed to convince you to provide your information or face negative consequences.

Again, Progressive Bank will NEVER ask for sensitive information, such as account numbers, Access IDs or passwords, via e-mail.

View the FDIC Bank Customer Guides to Cybersecurity 2016. This guide features articles on protecting login information, avoiding identity theft online, and the roles that banks and the government play in protecting our customers.

Mobile Security

One of the biggest barriers to consumers adopting Mobile Financial Services is fear of security threats. Most consumers are afraid that their mobile device may be “hijacked”; some fear their sensitive information may be intercepted as it travels across a wireless network; and still others worry about the consequences if their mobile phone is lost or stolen. With most mobile devices lacking the personal firewall, anti-virus software and other protections common today on personal computers, these devices can be vulnerable to a variety of security threats, including:

• Malware
  A term for “malicious software” that is inserted into a system, usually covertly, with the intent of compromising the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the victim’s data, applications or operating system, or otherwise annoying or disrupting the victim
• Phishing
  Luring unsuspecting customers to provide sensitive personal information or downloading malware through an email. Popular scams including phishing emails that appear to be coming from the bank and contain a link to a spoofed website; the site tricks victims into logging in using their personal credentials, which are then captured by the criminal.
• SmiShing
  A contraction of “SMS and phishing”, in which criminals pose as the bank and use SMS in an attempt to gain access to confidential account information. The typical scam informs the mobile device owner that the person’s account was compromised, or credit/ATM card was deactivated. The victim is directed to call a phone number or visit a spoofed website to reactivate the card. Once at the website or through an automated phone system, the victim is asked for card, passcode and/or account numbers.
• Vishing
  A contraction of “voice and phishing”, in which victims are tricked into disclosing sensitive personal information through a phone call or voice response unit (VRU).

Best Practices for Mobile Banking Fraud Prevention

• Modify the phone's settings so that only messages from authorized numbers are allowed.
• Add the bank's SMS short code (226563) and customer service phone number (318-651-5100) to your contacts, and only initiate SMS and phone calls directly from your contact list.
• Do not reply to SMS messages from senders that do not exist in your contact list.
• Do not click on links in SMS messages unless you initiated the SMS conversation with the bank.
• Only download approved apps from the App Store or Google Play that are submitted and branded by the bank.
• Always use your cellular network or a secured private network when conducting mobile financial services.
• Avoid using unsecured, public WiFi networks to access financial accounts with mobile devices.
• Do not access any mobile financial services from a "jail broken" or “rooted” device.
• Lastly, as stated above, you should always know that the bank will NEVER ask a user to provide confidential information over an email or SMS message.

Corporate Account Takeover (CATO)

Corporate Account Takeover occurs when a criminal obtains electronic access to your corporate bank account and conducts unauthorized transactions. The criminal obtains electronic access by stealing the confidential security credentials of your employees who are authorized to conduct electronic transactions (wire transfers, Automated Clearing House-ACH, and others) on your corporate bank account. Losses from this form of cyber-crime range from the tens of thousands to the millions, with the majority of these thefts not fully recovered. CATO thefts have affected both large and small banks. See more detailed information about Corporate Account Takeover and how it could affect your business. You can find additional information about staying secure online and protecting your business from Corporate Account Takeover by selecting the link below:

Cybersecurity & CATO Training

Enhanced Online Security

The Online Banking System brings together a combination of industry-approved security technologies to protect data for the bank for our customers. It features password controlled system entry, a VeriSign-issued Digital ID for the bank's server, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for data encryption, and a router loaded with a firewall to regulate the inflow and outflow of server traffic. Using these technologies, your Online Banking transactions are secure.

How to Protect Yourself

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone acquires your personal information and uses it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. It is a serious crime and cases are growing. An all-too-common example is when an identity thief uses your personal information to open a credit card account in your name.

No matter how cautious you are, there is no way to completely prevent identity theft from occurring. But there are ways you can help minimize your risk. This section contains valuable information explaining how you can protect yourself by managing your personal information wisely; the warning signs of identity theft; and what to do if you do become a victim.

Helpful Tips

• Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you're dealing with.
• Don't carry your Social Security card with you; leave it in a secure place.
• Carry only the identification and credit and debit cards that you need.
• Don't put your address, phone number, or driver's license number on credit card sales receipts.
• Social Security numbers or phone numbers should not be put on your checks.
• Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge cards that you're discarding, and credit offers you get in the mail.
• Secure your credit card, bank, and phone accounts with passwords. Avoid using easily available information like birth date, the last four digits of your SSN, or your phone number. When opening new accounts, you may find that many businesses still have a line on their applications for your mother's maiden name. Use a password instead.
• Secure personal information in your home, particularly if you have roommates or hire outside help.
• Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a Vacation Hold.
• Ask about information security procedures in your workplace. Find out who has access to your personal information and verify that records are kept in a secure location. Ask about the disposal procedures for those records as well.
• Before revealing any personally identifying information (for example, on an application), find out how it will be used and secured, and whether it will be shared with others. Ask if you have a choice about the use of your information. Can you choose to have it kept confidential?

For these tips and more, see Identity Theft: It Can Happen to Anyone.

In the wake of the most recent widespread data breach, the Federal Trade Commission has created a brief video for consumers instructing you about the proper steps to take if you believe that your information has been breached. Follow the links below to access the video or to access additional information at IdentityTheft.gov.

Check Your Credit Report

Order a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies every year. Make sure it is accurate and includes only those activities you have authorized. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) consumers can request and obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.

By checking your report on a regular basis you can catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. Don't underestimate the importance of this step.

If you become a victim, contact:

• The fraud departments of the three major credit bureaus
• The creditors of any accounts that have been misused
• The local police to file a report.
• The bank to cancel existing accounts held in your name and re-open new accounts with new passwords.

Progressive Bank is committed to safeguarding our customers' financial information. Maintaining our customers' trust and confidence is a top priority.

Privacy Policy

Keeping customer information secure is a top priority for all of us at Progressive Bank. Confidentiality is an important commitment we make to our customers. This policy will explain how we handle the personal information about you that we collect and may disclose. This notice applies to former customers as well as current customers. View the Privacy Notice.

In this notice, we refer to "our affiliates". When we do, we mean our company which is part of the Progressive Bancorp, Inc. family. These affiliates include Progressive Bank and Progressive Financial Advisors, Inc., L.L.C. On the other hand, when we refer to "non-affiliated third parties", we mean companies that are not part of the Progressive Bank family.

Confidentiality and Security Practices

Progressive protects the nonpublic personal information we collect about you by maintaining physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards. We train the people who work for us on how to properly handle your personal information. We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to persons who need to know that information to provide products and services to you.