Phishing - Don't Get Caught!

"Phishing" is a way for Internet scammers to trick you into revealing your personal financial information. Protect yourself by following these guidelines:

1. Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request, whether it is over the telephone or over the internet.

   E-mails and Internet pages created by phishers may look exactly like the real thing. They may even have a fake padlock icon that ordinarily is used to denote a secure site. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.

2. If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the financial institution yourself.

   You can find telephone numbers and web sites on the monthly statements you receive from your financial institution, or you can look in a phone book or on the Internet for information on the company. The key is that you should be the one to initiate the contact using contact information you have verified yourself.

3. Never provide your password over the telephone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request.

   A financial institution would never ask you to verify your account information online. Thieves armed with this information can help themselves to your savings.

4. Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct.

   If your account statement is late in arriving, call your financial institution to find out why. If your financial institution offers electronic account access, periodically review activity online to catch suspicious activity.

MCS Bank will never ask you to provide personal information about yourself via email.