IMPORTANT: SAUGUSBANK will NEVER request any personal information (such as account numbers, passwords, PINS, Social Security Numbers, etc.) through an unsecured email.

# Saugusbank does not use pop-up advertisements.

Beware of "Phishing"

"Phishing" is the act of sending an email or pop-up advertisement that claims to be from a legitimate business or organization that you deal with. Scam artists recreate pages using information from legitimate web sites in hopes of fooling consumers into providing their personal information.

The email or pop-up will ask you to "update" or "validate" your account information, passwords, logins, and will make some form of urgent appeal so that you will respond quickly. The email or pop-up may direct you to a fraud web site that may appear to be from a trusted source.

Some consumers mistakenly submit financial and personal information and the "phishers" will use it to gain access to financial records or accounts, commit identity theft or engage in illegal acts.

Recognizing "Phishing"

It may not always be easy to recognize fraud emails or pop-ups but there are some precautions:

Urgent Emails
Watch out for emails or pop-ups that state an urgent reply is needed or your account may be closed.

General Greetings
Watch out for emails or pop-up that provides a general greeting and doesn't identify you by name.

Typos and Errors
Fraudulent emails or pop-ups may have typographical or grammatical errors. Watch out for poor visual and design quality.

How to Protect Yourself!

DO NOT click on links you receive from a third-party asking for personal information or account numbers. To access the legitimate web site, you should type the web site name, URL address into the web browser or by using a "bookmark." (example: http://www.saugusbank.com)

DO NOT send confidential information such as account numbers, passwords, or PINs by email.

DO NOT share your IDs or passwords with anyone.

CALL the financial institution or business directly to confirm requests for updating or verifying personal or account information.

LOOK for a secure connection on web sites asking for personal or account information. Normally, the URL will begin with https:// in the browser address bar. Also, a "padlock" icon will appear at the bottom of your browser window.

VERIFY Web Site Security Certificates within your Web Browser.

UPDATE the security features of your computer software, including your Web Browser. Software companies provide security updates to their products. To learn more about computer security, visit http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect.

ALWAYS logoff web sites for secure areas of web sites (for example: Online Banking) for which you use an ID and Password to enter.

If You Have Been "Phished"

If you suspect "phishing" or identity theft or fraud involving any of your Saugusbank accounts, you should:

1. Contact Saugusbank at 781-231-3800.

2. Contact the following three credit bureaus to have a fraud alert placed on your credit report.

Contact Name Phone Number
Equifax http://www.equifax.com Fraud Line: (800) 525-6285
Experian http://www.experian.com Fraud Line: (800) 397-3742
Trans Union http://www.transunion.com Fraud Line: (800) 680-7289

3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov