Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday. January 19, 2005 - SEVEN
Protect yourself from financial fraud
By George Koffler President and CEO, Bank of Eastern Oregon
Consumers are increasingly at risk o f being victims
o f financial crimes Armed with as little information as a
Social Security Number, crooks can steal an individual’s
identity and apply for credit in his or her name Another
relatively new concern is the use o f “skimming” devices,
which allow a thief to steal a card’s magnetic stripe and
keypad information from ATM machines and gas pumps
Moreover, with the growth in Internet transactions
and e-mail use, there are new types o f scams popping up
every day. One scam growing in frequency is called
“phishing.” In this case, con artists use email to try to hijack
a person's financial information In a phishing scam,
swindlers claim to be from a reputable company and send
out thousands o f fake emails in hopes that consumers will
respond with the bank account information, credit card
numbers, passwords or other sensitive information
These emails can look quite convincing, with
company logos and banners copied from actual Web sites.
Often, they will tell the recipient that their security
procedure has changed or that they need to update (or
validate) the recipient’s information The consumer is then
directed to a look-alike Web site that, if the consumer
responds, will provide the thief with personal financial
information they will then use to order goods, services or
obtain credit
To avoid “phishing” scams, consumers should
consider the following tips:
-Never give out your personal financial information
in response to an unsolicited phone call, fax or email, no
known to call with news that you’ve won a prize and all
they need is your credit card number for verification Don’t
fall for it Remember the old saying, “ If it sounds too good
to be true, it probably is.”
matter how official it may seem
-Do not respond to email that may warn of dire
consequences unless you validate your information
immediately. Contact the company to confirm the email’s
validity using a telephone number or Web address you know
to be genuine
-C heck your credit card and bank account
statements regularly and look for unauthorized transactions,
even small ones. Some thieves hope small transactions will
go unnoticed Report discrepancies immediately.
-When submitting financial information to a Web
site, look for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your
browser and make sure the Internet address begins with
“https.” This signals that your information is secure during
transmission
-If you have responded to an email, contact your
bank immediately so they can protect your account and
your identity.
Another extremely common scam that has been
around for decades involves an offer- now commonly
received via e-mail- from supposed Nigerians kindly
promising big profits in exchange for help moving large
sums of money out o f their country. Many consumers are
continuing to fall for the convincing sad stories, polite
language and the unequivocal promises of money. These
advance-fee solicitations are scams and according to the
Federal Trade Commission, the scam artists are playing
each and every consumer for a fool through their elaborate
scheme
If you’re tempted to respond to an offer, the Federal
Trade Commission suggests you stop and ask yourself two
important questions: Why would a perfect stranger pick
you- also a perfect stranger- to share a fortune with and
why would you share your personal or business information,
including your bank account numbers or your company
letterhead, with someone you don’t know?
If you receive an offer via email from someone
claiming to need your help getting money out o f Nigeria-
or any other country, for that matter- forward it to the
Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.
While there are several other pitfalls not specifically
mentioned here, the basic tips for protecting our financial
information apply across the board.
Get a copy o f your credit report from each o f the
three major credit bureaus: TransUnion 1 (800) 888-4213;
Equifax 1 (800) 685-1111; and Experian 1 (888) 397-3742,
to check for accuracy
Keep an eye on your accounts throughout the year
by reading your monthly/periodic statements thoroughly.
That’s an easy way for you to be sure that all o f the activity
in your accounts was initiated by you
Tear up or shred pre-approved credit offers, receipts
and other personal information that link your name to
account numbers Don’t leave your ATM or credit card
receipt in public trash cans. Crooks (a k a dumpster divers)
are known to go through trash to get account numbers and
other items that will give them just enough information to
get credit in your name
If your credit card or other bills are more than two
weeks late, you should do three things: First, contact the
Postal Service to see if someone has forwarded your mail
to another address Second, contact your bank to ask if the
statement or card has been mailed Third, contact the
businesses that send you bills
When you pay bills, don't put them in your mailbox
with the red flag up That’s a flashing neon light telling
crooks to grab your information Use a locked mailbox or
the post office
Protect your account information Don’t write your
personal identification number (PIN) on your ATM or debit
card Don’t write your social security number or credit
card account number on a check Cover your hand when
you are entering your PIN number at an ATM
Don’t carry your Social Security card, passport or
birth certificate unless you need it that day. Take all but
one or two credit cards out of your wallet and keep a list at
home o f your account information and customer service
telephone numbers That way, if your wallet is lost or stolen,
you’ll only have to notify a few o f your creditors and the
information will be handy
When shopping online, be sure the site is secure
and reputable Just because a site says it is secure doesn't
mean it is Be cautious purchasing from sites that advertise
to be companies with no known physical address
Never provide personal or credit card information
over the phone, unless you initiated the call Crooks are
Six HHS football players
named to All-State teams
Engagement
Elguezabal-Payne
(L-R):Rory Kilkenny, Brandon Seitz, and Matt Kenny, all
named to positions in 2 A All-State football.
(L-R): Kory Paullus and Tyler Boyer, also named to positions in
2A All-State football. Not pictured: Jode Coil.
Petra Elguézabal and Kesin Payne
Kevin Payne and Petra Elguézabal wish to announce
their engagement and forthcoming marriage The couple
plans to wed on June 11, 2005, at Our Lady o f Angels
Catholic Church in Hermiston
The bride-elect is a 1998 graduate of Heppner High
School and presently teaches Spanish at Heppner High
School She is the daughter of Mary Ann Elguézabal of
Heppner and the late Juan Elguézabal.
The groom-elect is a 1994 graduate of Heppner
High School and currently w orks for the O regon
Department o f Fish and Wildlife He is the son o f Les and
Kathy Payne o f Umatilla and Phyllis and Jerry Armitage of
Wenatchee, WA
Six Heppner High School
football players were named
to positions in 2A All-State
football Those listed were
B randon Seitz, a HHS
senior, was named to the 2A
A ll-State football second
team for both offense and
defense He was chosen as a
tight end and a defensive
lineman
R ory K ilkenny, a HHS
junior, was named to the
second team as an offensive
lineman and to the third team
as a defensive lineman
Senior Kory Paullus rounded
out the HHS players named
to the second team with his
position as a defensive back
Seniors Jode Coil and Tyler
Boyer were both named to
the third team, with Coil as
a defensive back and Boyer
as a running back.
Junior Matt Kenny received
an honorable mention as a
linebacker
Chamber of Commerce Luncheon time for awards
and installation of officers
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New board members of the Heppner Chamber of Commerce were sworn in last week at the annual Chamber of Com-
merce Luncheon. Left to right are: Bert Houweling, Jeff Bailey, Barbara Hayes, David Sykes, Nancy Snider, Tim Van
Cleave, Nancy Gochnauer (Chamber President), Brenda Sherrell and John Murray.
Dale Bates received one of the
“ Hats O ff’ awards for his
community service work es
pecially helping with the
sound systems at many local
events.
Incoming chamber president
Nancy Gochnauer presents
2004 president Victor Vander
Dose with a plaque for his ser
vice to the community.
The Heppner Chamber of
Commerce held its annual
luncheon last Tuesday at the
Episcopal church Awards
were handed out and 2005
board members were sworn
Incom ing president
Nancy Gochnauer said she
would like to see the Cham
ber do more to help the
youth in the community in
2005
in