WHAT IS PHISHING?

Guidance for Our Customers Against E-Mail and Internet-Related Fraudulent Schemes

E-mail and Internet-related fraudulent schemes, such as "phishing" (pronounced "fishing"), are being perpetrated with increasing frequency, creativity and intensity. Phishing involves the use of seemingly legitimate e-mail messages and websites to deceive consumers into disclosing sensitive information, such as bank or loan account information, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, passwords, and personal identification numbers (PINs). The perpetrator of the fraudulent e-mail message may use various means to convince the recipient that the message is legitimate and from a trusted source with which the recipient has an established business relationship. Techniques such as a false "from" address or the use of seemingly legitimate company logos, weblinks and graphics may be used to mislead e-mail recipients.

In most phishing schemes, the fraudulent e-mail message will request that recipients "update" or "validate" their financial or personal information in order to maintain their accounts, and direct them to a fraudulent website that may look very similar to the website of the legitimate business. These websites may include copied or "spoofed" pages from legitimate websites to further trick consumers into thinking they are responding to a bona fide request. Some consumers will mistakenly submit financial and personal information to the perpetrator who will use it to gain access to financial records or accounts, commit identity theft or engage in other illegal acts.

Ways We Are Working Protect Your Information from Fraud and Identity Theft

• We will never send e-mail messages that request confidential information, such as account numbers, passwords, or PINs;
• We will work to notify Internet service providers, domain name-issuing companies, and law enforcement to shut down fraudulent websites and other Internet resources that may be used to facilitate phishing or other e-mail and Internet-related fraudulent schemes directed towards our customers;
• We maintain suspicious activity monitoring and employ additional identity verification controls;
• We will offer our customers assistance when fraud is detected in connection with customer accounts; and
• As appropriate, we will notify the proper authorities when e-mail and Internet-related fraudulent schemes are detected.

Additional Tips in Protecting Yourself from Fraud and Identity Theft

• The safest approach is to immediately delete e-mail from unknown sources, before opening the e-mail.
• Avoid clicking on any links in unsolicited e-mail, particularly e-mails that ask (either directly or by pointing to a website) for personal, financial, or identity information. Instead, directly type the website destination into your browser or use a trusted bookmark to verify the site or to log into your account directly.
• Always access our website by using a trusted bookmark of our site or by directly typing our website address into your browser. Check to ensure you have typed the address correctly before providing personal information on the site.
• When using AccountAccess, check to ensure that the padlock icon appears in your browser's status bar. It indicates that your information is secure during transmission.
• When you click on the VeriSign logo on our AccountAccess log-in page, it should take you to a site indicating that "www.farrmcredit.net" is a VeriSign Secure Site and should display the following information:
   

  Name	www.farmcredit.net
  Status	Valid
  Validity Period	(Example: 01-AUG-03 - 31-JUL-04) Check to ensure validity period is current.
  Server ID Information	Country = US State = South Carolina Locality = Columbia Organization = AgFirst Farm Credit Bank Organizational Unit = Network Systems Services Organizational Unit = Terms of use at www.verisign.com/rpa (c)00 Common Name = www.farmcredit.net

  
   
• If you receive an e-mail that warns you, with little or no notice, that an account of yours will be shut down unless you reconfirm your billing information, do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail. Instead, contact the company cited in the e-mail using a telephone number or website address you know to be genuine.
• You may also wish to contact your Internet Service Provider for support in blocking e-mails or subscribing to a "spam" or junk e-mail filter they may offer.
• Ensure your home computer has adequate anti-virus software and remember to update it frequently.

Reporting Suspicious or Fraudulent Communications and Transactions

You should promptly report suspicious activity or e-mail communications to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Send the actual e-mail you received to uce@ftc.gov. If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov, then visit the FTC's Identity Theft website ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft.

If you receive a suspicious message that appears to be coming from us, or discover a potentially phony Farm Credit of South Florida website, please let us know by calling 800-432-4156, or by sending an e-mail so that we may take appropriate action.

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