Ansett
24 November 2005, 15:50
A statement from the BMO Bank of Montreal website
- you can find the original here (http://www4.bmo.com/popup/0,4442,35649_2379123,00.html?pChannelId=0)
How to Protect Yourself from “Phishing†and Email Scams
You may have experienced or read about recent incidents of unsolicited email messages masquerading as legitimate companies that trick recipients into divulging personal and financial information.
These “phishing†(also called "brand spoofing") emails send you to web sites pretending to be legitimate companies that ask for your personal and financial information.
At no time do members of BMO Financial Group request personal or financial information by sending out unsolicited emails. You should never send personal identification numbers or other personal confidential information by email as it is not a secure method of contact.
How The Scams Work
A common email scam uses unsolicited email to deceive consumers into disclosing confidential personal information. The deceptive email suggests clicking on a link or attachment for any one of the following reasons:
Change / update to personal information
Contests
Possible suspension of client cards or accounts
Application for products
After clicking on an attachment or link from the unsolicited email, the user is taken to a bogus site that requests confidential personal information, which could include:
Bank Card Numbers/User ID's
Account Numbers
Personal Identification Numbers (PINs)
Credit Card Numbers
Social Insurance Numbers
Other Personal or Private Information
Passwords
How to Identify the Scam
There are some commonalities that can help you identify the scams:
They are designed to mimic the look and feel of a genuine site
They are most commonly sent out through unsolicited emails, containing links or attachments
The Web address will often have the @ symbol or a numeric address (eg.123.456.1.2). The address may also include the word, phrase or text 'bmo' to make it appear authentic.
How To Help Protect Yourself
It is important to understand that there are ways in which you can help protect yourself from email fraud and web sites that request your personal or banking information:
If you receive an email pretending to be from a member of BMO Financial Group that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the email. To ensure that the email is legitimate, contact us immediately:
BMO Bank of Montreal Online Banking: 1 800 555-3000
BMO InvestorLine: 1 888 776-6886
BMO Nesbitt Burns: 1 877 873-7664
BMO Mutual Funds: 1 800 665-7700
BMO Harris Private Banking: 1 800 844-6442
Mosaik MasterCard: 1 800 263-2263
Always enter your BMO Financial Group web site using your bookmarks or any of our published URLs.
Review your financial statements regularly for unauthorized or suspicious transactions.
Never send personal and/or financial information via unsecured email.
Do not trust email headers. They can be easily forged.
How to Protect your Debit Card and PIN
Canadians use debit cards millions of times a day at banking machines and point-of-sale terminals to access their accounts and make purchases.
About debit card usage:
Debit card use is an extremely safe banking process - debit card fraud affects only a small percentage of accounts.
BMO Financial Group has sophisticated security systems and fraud teams in place to protect your accounts.
In the unlikely event that debit card fraud does occur, in circumstances beyond your control, your accounts will be reimbursed.
Taking steps to protect your debit card and PIN will help reduce your own risk of being a victim of fraud.
Here are some tips to help protect your debit card and PIN:
Use your hand or body to shield your PIN when you are conducting transactions at an Automated Banking Machine (ABM) or at a point-of-sale terminal.
Never let your banking card out of your sight when conducting a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal. Always remember to take your banking card and transaction record with you once your transaction is completed.
Regularly check your statements and balances to verify all transactions have been properly documented. If entries do not accurately reflect transaction activities, for example, if there are missing or additional transactions, you should contact your BMO Bank of Montreal branch immediately.
If your banking card is lost, stolen or retained by an ABM, notify your BMO Bank of Montreal branch immediately.
Your banking card and PIN are the keys to your account(s). Never disclose your PIN to anyone … not even us. You are the only person who should know it.
Memorize your PIN - it's your electronic signature. If you suspect that someone knows your PIN, change it immediately or contact your BMO Bank of Montreal branch to cancel the card.
When selecting your PIN, never use obvious information - such as, your telephone number, date of birth, address or social insurance number.
For further information, you can also visit the following sites:
Canadian Bankers Association (http://www.cba.ca/)
Interac®* Association (http://www.interac.ca/)
© BMO Bank of Montreal
Quoted here by Fraudwatchers.org for the convenience of people new to the internet and/or in the process of being scammed.
- you can find the original here (http://www4.bmo.com/popup/0,4442,35649_2379123,00.html?pChannelId=0)
How to Protect Yourself from “Phishing†and Email Scams
You may have experienced or read about recent incidents of unsolicited email messages masquerading as legitimate companies that trick recipients into divulging personal and financial information.
These “phishing†(also called "brand spoofing") emails send you to web sites pretending to be legitimate companies that ask for your personal and financial information.
At no time do members of BMO Financial Group request personal or financial information by sending out unsolicited emails. You should never send personal identification numbers or other personal confidential information by email as it is not a secure method of contact.
How The Scams Work
A common email scam uses unsolicited email to deceive consumers into disclosing confidential personal information. The deceptive email suggests clicking on a link or attachment for any one of the following reasons:
Change / update to personal information
Contests
Possible suspension of client cards or accounts
Application for products
After clicking on an attachment or link from the unsolicited email, the user is taken to a bogus site that requests confidential personal information, which could include:
Bank Card Numbers/User ID's
Account Numbers
Personal Identification Numbers (PINs)
Credit Card Numbers
Social Insurance Numbers
Other Personal or Private Information
Passwords
How to Identify the Scam
There are some commonalities that can help you identify the scams:
They are designed to mimic the look and feel of a genuine site
They are most commonly sent out through unsolicited emails, containing links or attachments
The Web address will often have the @ symbol or a numeric address (eg.123.456.1.2). The address may also include the word, phrase or text 'bmo' to make it appear authentic.
How To Help Protect Yourself
It is important to understand that there are ways in which you can help protect yourself from email fraud and web sites that request your personal or banking information:
If you receive an email pretending to be from a member of BMO Financial Group that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the email. To ensure that the email is legitimate, contact us immediately:
BMO Bank of Montreal Online Banking: 1 800 555-3000
BMO InvestorLine: 1 888 776-6886
BMO Nesbitt Burns: 1 877 873-7664
BMO Mutual Funds: 1 800 665-7700
BMO Harris Private Banking: 1 800 844-6442
Mosaik MasterCard: 1 800 263-2263
Always enter your BMO Financial Group web site using your bookmarks or any of our published URLs.
Review your financial statements regularly for unauthorized or suspicious transactions.
Never send personal and/or financial information via unsecured email.
Do not trust email headers. They can be easily forged.
How to Protect your Debit Card and PIN
Canadians use debit cards millions of times a day at banking machines and point-of-sale terminals to access their accounts and make purchases.
About debit card usage:
Debit card use is an extremely safe banking process - debit card fraud affects only a small percentage of accounts.
BMO Financial Group has sophisticated security systems and fraud teams in place to protect your accounts.
In the unlikely event that debit card fraud does occur, in circumstances beyond your control, your accounts will be reimbursed.
Taking steps to protect your debit card and PIN will help reduce your own risk of being a victim of fraud.
Here are some tips to help protect your debit card and PIN:
Use your hand or body to shield your PIN when you are conducting transactions at an Automated Banking Machine (ABM) or at a point-of-sale terminal.
Never let your banking card out of your sight when conducting a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal. Always remember to take your banking card and transaction record with you once your transaction is completed.
Regularly check your statements and balances to verify all transactions have been properly documented. If entries do not accurately reflect transaction activities, for example, if there are missing or additional transactions, you should contact your BMO Bank of Montreal branch immediately.
If your banking card is lost, stolen or retained by an ABM, notify your BMO Bank of Montreal branch immediately.
Your banking card and PIN are the keys to your account(s). Never disclose your PIN to anyone … not even us. You are the only person who should know it.
Memorize your PIN - it's your electronic signature. If you suspect that someone knows your PIN, change it immediately or contact your BMO Bank of Montreal branch to cancel the card.
When selecting your PIN, never use obvious information - such as, your telephone number, date of birth, address or social insurance number.
For further information, you can also visit the following sites:
Canadian Bankers Association (http://www.cba.ca/)
Interac®* Association (http://www.interac.ca/)
© BMO Bank of Montreal
Quoted here by Fraudwatchers.org for the convenience of people new to the internet and/or in the process of being scammed.