Phishing Scammers Will Try to Steal Your Identity

FACT 1

Phishing (pronounced "fishing") is an Internet scam.  In a phishing scam, you could receive an e-mail that appears to be from First Federal Bank of California.

Recent examples of phishing e-mails ask you to complete a survey in return for monetary compensation, or warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention.  In order to receive the award or correct the problem, you could be asked to provide personal information about your account.

Once supplied with your personal information, phishing scammers can assume your identity to obtain loans, credit cards and even driver's licenses.  They can damage your credit, your financial history and your personal reputation which can take years to correct. 

FACT 2

First Federal Bank of California will NEVER send you an e-mail requesting your ATM/debit card numbers, account numbers, PINs, or any other personal information.  If you ever receive an e-mail that says it's from First Fed and it asks you to verify or provide personal information, DO NOT RESPOND TO THE REQUEST. It's a phishing scam.

Additionally, First Federal Bank of California will NEVER call you and request this information.

FACT 3

First Federal Bank of California will NEVER send you an e-mail that directs you to our web site, and once you're on the site, ask you to provide account and other personal information for verification purposes.  If you ever receive an e-mail that directs you to a First Fed web site and asks you to provide account or other personal information, DO NOT RESPOND TO THE REQUEST -- it's a phishing scam.

Your privacy is important to us.  Never reply directly or click on a link in response to an e-mail that appears to be First Fed asking you for financial or personal information.  Just delete the email and report that you received a suspicious e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@use.gov or visit www.ftc.gov. At First Fed, protecting your personal data is one or our most important responsibilities and one that we take very seriously.

A phishing e-mail could ask you to provide any or all of the following:

• Name
• Phone number
• ATM / debit card number along with security verification code
• Account numbers
• Social Security number
• Information used to verify your identity such as your mother's maiden name or your place of birth