Charles River Bank customers should be aware of the continuing threat posed by multiple e-mail-based scams known as “phishing”. These e-mail-based scams attempt to collect private account information from customers through deceptive and misleading methods.
For example, these phishing e-mails fraudulently request personal information including user ids, passwords, Social Security numbers, credit or ATM card numbers. The unsuspecting customer’s personal information is generally gathered through a link provided in the e-mail that directs the recipient to web sites that look very much like a legitimate Charles River Bank site.
Please note that Charles River Bank does not solicit sensitive, private information from customers through unsecure e-mail. Also, Charles River Bank recommends accessing our website by typing the website address into your browser or by using a “bookmark” that directs the browser to our site.
Customers who receive these e-mails should not follow any of the instructions in the e-mail, and should not click on the links contained in the e-mail. If customers follow these steps, their accounts are not in jeopardy of being compromised. Charles River Bank will NOT send e-mail messages requesting your confidential information, including account numbers, passwords, or PINs. If you receive an e-mail requesting such information, please contact us immediately at 508-533-8661.
If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of an e-mail message that appears to be from Charles River Bank, please forward it immediately to customerservice@charlesriverbank.com. As stated above, do not respond to the e-mail message or click any of the links contained in the e-mail. Please do not remove the original subject line or change the e-mail in any way when you forward it to us.
Customers who may have clicked on the links and entered information in response to one or more of these e-mails should:
- Contact Charles River Bank immediately at (508) 533-8661.
- Contact the following three credit bureaus to have a fraud alert placed on your credit report:
- Equifax Fraud Line: (800) 525-6285
- Experian Fraud Line: (800) 397-3742
- Trans Union Fraud Line: (800) 680-7289
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission* or (877) IDTHEFT — (877) 438-4338.
- Additionally, to ensure that your computer was not infected with any malicious software that the phishing e-mail may have contained, we highly recommend that you immediately run a scan* to check for viruses or adware/spyware. Please contact a computer security professional if you need assistance with determining whether or not your computer has been infected.
*Please note that Charles River Bank is not affiliated with any provider of software packages that scan your computer, and we cannot endorse or recommend any particular one.
Charles River Bank provides links to web sites of other organizations in order to provide visitors with certain information.
A link does not constitute an endorsement of content, viewpoint, policies, products or services of that web site. Once you link to another web site not maintained by Charles River Bank, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that web site, including but not limited to its privacy policy.
