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FRAUD AWARENESS INFORMATION The lesson is simple: don’t talk – or type – to strangers. Specifically, beware of giving any personally identifying information to anyone who calls you on the phone or sends you an e-mail. Such sensitive information would include your bank account and Social Security numbers, and all credit card and banking passwords and PINs.
E-mail fraud is on the rise. One fraudulent scheme, known as “Phishing,” involves the use of seemingly legitimate e-mail messages and web sites designed to deceive you by looking like legitimate businesses. In a typical phishing scheme, the fraudulent message will request that you “update” or “validate” sensitive information. You may be requested to "protect your account", "re-activate your account", "prevent your account from becoming locked", etc. When responding to such a request, you may be directed to a fraudulent web site that looks very similar to a legitimate one. For more information about “phishing,”, visit the Washington State Attorney General's Consumer Protection web page at www.atg.wa.gov/ConsumerIssues/ID-Privacy/Phishing.aspx. To report a “phishing” incident to the Federal Trade commission, go to the FTC Consumer Alert web page at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm. Remember, Venture Bank’s web page should NEVER be accessed from a link provided by a third party, such as e-mail. It should be accessed ONLY by typing the web site name into the web browser or by using a “book mark” already keyed to www.venture-bank.com.
Venture Bank will NEVER phone you or send an e-mail requesting confidential information. If you receive such a request, contact us immediately at 1-888-373-BANK (1-888-373-2265).
When you contact Venture Bank via Internet e-mail, please do NOT send confidential information such as your social security numbers, account numbers, and other account or private information. Unlike Venture Bank's forms, Internet e-mail does not use SSL encryption and is not secure!
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