Security

Call us at 1 (888) 456-LAKE (5253) and your credit card issuers immediately to close your accounts. 

Contact the fraud unit of the three credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. Consider requesting a credit freeze so the criminal can’t open new accounts.

 

Additionally, report the fraud online to the Federal Trade Commission or call the FTC at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338).

 

File a police report

Make sure to maintain a log of all the contacts you make with authorities related to this matter. Write down names, titles and phone numbers in case you need to contact them later or refer to them in future correspondence.

 

For more advice, visit the FTC’s website. 

Phishing is a form of email fraud. Criminals send messages that appear to be from a trusted source, such as a financial institution or government agency, and direct you to a website asking you to “verify” your personal information. Once scammers have your information, they have the tools to commit account fraud using your name.

 

 

Remember: Lakeside Bank will never send you an email asking you to verify personal information

 

Fraudsters send texts with “urgent” requests to lure people into providing personal information. Website pop-ups generated by these fraudsters will often ask users to download “important” information or “free” apps, resulting in spyware or other viruses.

 

 

This is malicious software, also known as “spyware,” often included in spam emails. If you click links, malware downloads to your system and takes control of your computer to forward your personal data to fraudsters.

 

• Install and regularly update your anti-virus software, anti-malware programs and operating system patches and updates.

 

• Don’t judge by appearances: It's easy for anyone to set up a professional-looking website that's as impressive as a legitimate business.

 

Have you ever received a letter congratulating you for winning a foreign lottery along with a check? This is a common scam. The lottery angle is a trick to get you to wire money to someone you don’t know. And if you were to deposit their check and wire the money, you'd soon learn the check was fake. The money you wired can’t be retrieved, and you’re responsible for the checks you deposit, even though you don’t know they are fake.

 

This is just one example of a counterfeit check scam that could leave you owing money. The Federal Trade Commission wants you to know that counterfeit check scams are on the rise. The scammers use high-quality printers and scanners to make the checks look real. Some of the checks contain authentic-looking watermarks. These counterfeit checks are printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. And even though the account and routing numbers listed on a counterfeit check may be real, the check still can be fake.

 

These fakes range from cashier’s checks and money orders to corporate and personal checks. Could you be a victim? Not if you recognize and report them.

 

Counterfeit or fake checks are being used in a growing number of fraudulent schemes beyond lotteries, including check overpayment scams, online auction and secret shopper scams, and scams selling cars or other valuable items through classified ads or online auction sites.

 

A scam artist replies to a classified ad or auction posting, offers to pay for the item with a check, and then comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price. The scammer asks the seller to wire back the difference after depositing the check. The seller does it, and later, when the scammer’s check bounces, the seller is left liable for the entire amount.

 

Under federal law, financial institutions must make funds available to you from U.S. Treasury checks, official checks (cashier’s checks, certified checks, and teller’s checks), and checks paid by government agencies at the opening of business the day after you deposit the check. For other checks, financial institutions must similarly make the first $225 available the day after you deposit the check. Remaining funds must be made available on the second day after the deposit.

 

However, just because funds are available on a check you’ve deposited doesn’t mean the check is good. It’s best not to rely on money from any type of check (cashier, business or personal check, or money order) unless you know and trust the person you are dealing with or, better yet, until the financial institution confirms that the check has cleared. Forgeries can take weeks to be discovered and untangled.

 

The bottom line is that until the financial institution confirms the funds from the check have been deposited into your account, you are responsible for any funds you withdraw against that check.

 

 

File a report with the following agencies:

A major factor contributing to the risk of mobile banking is the failure to treat a cell phone or tablet like a computer. Consider the following:

 

Making matters worse, people are far more likely to lose a phone than a laptop. If your mobile device is lost or stolen, you could fall prey to identity theft and account hijacking. And beyond accessing your online accounts, thieves can access other saved passwords and sensitive information.

 

Take a few simple precautions to protect your information and device.