Alerts

Fraud Alert

2014-04-17 Thursday

• Channel : Secure websites
• Topic : Heartbleed Bug
• Vulnerability : Weakness in OpenSSL technology exploited

What is the Heartbleed Bug?

On April 7, 2014, researchers disclosed a serious weakness in OpenSSL, a technology that powers the encryption of data transfer across much of the Internet. This vulnerability is commonly known as the “Heartbleed Bug” and could potentially allow attackers to retrieve sensitive information from encrypted communications.

Is Elsewhere Bank safe?

Yes. The Elsewhere Bank Information Security Team has carefully scanned our systems for any vulnerability to the Heartbleed Bug and has found that no services are at risk, including all online banking applications.

Should I be concerned?

Yes. It’s important to note that many people use the same password on more than one website. So, even if a website didn’t reveal your login information, a hacker might obtain it from another affected site if you used the same password. That’s why we strongly recommend that you never use the same password twice.

Should I change all of my passwords?

While we recommend that you change your passwords, not all websites have been updated yet to protect against this vulnerability. The best advice we can give you is to change your most important website passwords immediately, including email, bank accounts, ecommerce and other sites that store your most sensitive information.

What else should I do?

Be on the lookout for other scams. Given the growing public awareness of this bug, it’s likely that phishers and other con artists will take full advantage of the situation. Avoid responding to email invitations to reset your passwords. Instead, visit the site manually, either using a trusted bookmark or searching for the site in question.

Fraud Alert

2011-02-22 Tuesday

• Channel: Email
• Scam: Email claiming to be from NACHA
• Subject: ACH transaction rejected

Description

NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association has received reports that individuals and/or companies have received a fraudulent email that has the appearance of having been sent from NACHA and signed by a non-existent NACHA employee. Specifically, this email claims to be from the “Electronic Payments Association” and appears to be coming from the email address “payments@nacha.org.” The email includes a link that redirects the individual to a fake Web page and contains a link that is almost certainly an executable virus with malware.

Comments

Do not click on the link. The text, email, and the related website are fraudulent. Be aware that phishing emails frequently have links to Web pages that host malicious code and software. NACHA itself does not process nor touch the ACH transactions that flow to and from organizations and financial institutions. NACHA does not send communications to individuals or organizations about individual ACH transactions that they originate or receive.

Fraud Alert

2011-01-12 Wednesday

• Channel: Email
• Topic: Suspicious Emails Claiming to Be From the FDIC
• Scam: These emails falsely indicate that FDIC deposit insurance is suspended until the requested customer information is provided.

Description

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports from consumers who received an email that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. The email informs the recipient that “in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, federal, state and local governments…” the FDIC has withdrawn deposit insurance from the recipient’s account “due to account activity that violates the Patriot Act.” It further states deposit insurance will remain suspended until identity and account information can be verified using a system called “IDVerify.” If consumers go to the link provided in the email, it is suspected they will be asked for personal or confidential information, or malicious software may be loaded onto the recipient’s computer.

Comments

This email is fraudulent. It was not sent by the FDIC. It is an attempt to obtain personal information from consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of the email and should NOT under any circumstances provide any personal information through this media. The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the emails and disrupt the transmission. Until this is achieved, consumers are asked to report any similar attempts to obtain this information to the FDIC by sending information to alert@fdic.gov

System Alert

2010-12-30 Thursday

• System: elsewherebank.com
• Subject: Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Maintenance
• Impact: None
• Status: Completed
• Note: Maintenance does not effect online banking.

Details

From 8:00 PM PDT Thursday, December 30 to 3:00 AM PDT Friday, December 31, we will be performing maintenance on our UPS systems. Data center electrical loads will be transferred from our utility to our backup generators prior to the beginning of the maintenance to minimize risk. Regular maintenance is an industry standard “best practice” to ensure that emergency power equipment is in proper working order. No service interruptions are expected or anticipated however a minor potential for impact does exist and as such we are proactively notifying our clients of this maintenance.

System Alert

2010-09-21 Tuesday

• System: elsewherebank.com
• Subject: Security Updates
• Impact: 15-30 minute service interruption.
• Status: Completed
• Note: Maintenance does not effect online banking.

Details

On September 21, we will install all of the security updates currently available for the server where our websites and databases reside, as well as any patches the machine requires. This maintenance will occur between 02:00 AM and 06:00 AM EDT and the estimated downtime is between 15 – 30 minutes. All of the patches that will be deployed have gone through our quality assurance process and are currently running with no incident on our test servers.

Local Alert

2010-12-16 Thursday

• Area: Gridley
• Alert: Giant squirrel snatches toddler from Gridley porch
• Status: Squirrel on the loose. Considered cranky and hungry.

Details

At approximately 7:25 PM, a giant squirrel grabbed a 3-year-old boy from the front porch of a Gridley home. The squirrel proceeded southbound on Highway 99 at a high rate of speed. Witnesses claim that the ferocious animal could be in excess of four feet in height and weigh 100-150 pounds. Forest animal experts from Stanford University have been called in to investigate.

Update: Friday 2010-12-17

• Squirrel still at large. No sign of toddler.

Local Alert

2011-02-25 Friday

• Branch: South Elsewhere – 101 Main St
• Alert: Closure due to power outage related to excessive snow
• Status: Closed

Details

At approximately 7:15 AM today, we lost power to our South Nowhere branch due to excessive snow and violent winds. Power to this area is not expected to return until tomorrow morning. PG&E is aware of the problem and engineers are working to restore service. We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates when available.

Update: Saturday 2011-02-26

• South Elsewhere branch re-opened at 9:00 AM

Local Alert

2010-12-23 Thursday

• Branch: South Elsewhere – 101 Main St
• Alert: Possible closure due to power outage
• Status: Closed

Details

At approximately 1:25 PM today, we lost power to our Elsewhere branch due to violent winds and continued rain. Power to this area is not expected to return until tomorrow morning. PG&E is aware of the problem and engineers are working to restore service. We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates when available.

Update: Friday 2010-12-24

• North Elsewhere branch re-opened at 9:00 AM