Email and Text Message Cyber Attacks

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December 18, 2020

When you are opening an email or text message, please keep the following information in mind and protect yourself from cyber-attacks:

Make sure it’s Provident Bank. Provident Bank will never ask for personal information via email. Criminals hope that the person reading their fraudulent email is willing to open the attachment, click a link, or respond to the email. Also, we will never ask you to sign into your online banking account as legitimate Bank employees can view your accounts and online banking relationship via their secured access and permissions.

Report Suspicious Texts and Emails. Thieves try to impersonate companies via email and text message. Never click on links if an email or text message seems suspicious. Never send personal information via email or text message. Look for typos and other errors, as this is usually a sure sign that the email is fraudulent. If you have questions regarding an email or text message Provident Bank has sent to you, please call our Customer Care Center at 800.448.7768.

Never pay for a service that you did not request. Scammers use high pressure tactics to get you to pay them; DON'T fall for high pressure tactics and requests for payment via cash, gift cards, money transfers like Zelle^® or CashAPP, or wire transfers.

Use a spam filter. A spam filter will go a long way in removing lots of the malicious emails that could end up in your inbox. Talk to your email provider to see what protection they offer to protect your personal email from spam. If you are a business owner, ask if they have a business or corporate version, which may be a cost effective solution for use throughout your company's network.

Deploy a web filter. The internet is full of dangerous links and malicious pages and one wrong click can get your organization into trouble. Using a web filter helps to block traffic to the most harmful parts of the internet.

Monitor your accounts daily. Respond to fraud alerts and report unauthorized transactions promptly. If you believe your account(s) or banking information have been compromised, please call our Customer Care Center at 800.448.7768 immediately.

Part of our commitment to you is keeping your personal and financial information safe and secure.