Protect Yourself Against Online Fraud:

One of the latest types of fraud is called “Phishing” (fishing). Cyber-thiefs attempt to collect personal and sensitive information through phony emails that appear to be from legitimate companies.Typically these emails direct the recipients to “verify or update” their accounts. The emails usually include links to imitations of legitimate websites and/or forms to collect personal information. Capital Bank will never ask for sensitive information from you via email (ex. Social security number, access ID, pass code or account number.)

Here are a few tips to help protect your personal information while using the Internet:

• Never provide your personal information or financial information in response to an unsolicited request.
• Be suspicious of any email or pop-up messages with urgent requests for personal financial information.
• If an Email arrives unsolicited from any source indicating you must click on a link to visit a site, and input personal data…. Be very wary of it.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, fegardless of who sent them.
• Instead of clicking on links in emails, type in the URL that you're familiar with and/or select the website from your "favorites".
• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is… And should be avoided.
• If you have any doubts about the validity of an email, contact the sender using a telephone number you know to be genuine.
• Regularly log into your online accounts to check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate. Capital Bank offers free online banking called NetConnection for all personal consumers.
• If you initiate an online transaction and want to provide your personal information, look for indicators that the site is secure. The URL for secure sites typically begin with "https": instead of "http".
• Use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date.
• Make sure you have applied the latest security patches for your computer.
• If you have broadband Internet access (e.g. cable modem or DSL) make sure
  that you have a firewall.
• Change your online passwords frequently.

Visit www.ftc.gov/spam to learn other ways to avoid email scams and deal with deceptive spam.

Reporting:
Report phishing emails to the FTC; spam@uce.gov. You can also report spam email to your ISP, such as AOL, MSN, or Yahoo. If you believe your identity or personal information has been stolen, file a complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft. You can also report Internet crimes on the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.gov.

Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft:

Identify theft is on the rise. Capital Bank guards your information and has put into place many measures to protect your identity and to protect your accounts against theft and fraud. Among these are:

• Capital Bank personnel will never call you by phone to collect personal information and will never ask for sensitive information.
• Capital Bank does not sell or otherwise distribute your personal information.
• Capital Bank follows stringent bank privacy policies.
• Capital Bank provides password protection for online transactions. When using our online services, you should develop a secret password that only you would know.
• Encryption of online transactions with Capital Bank converts your information into secure code, protecting you against hackers.

Maximum security is possible only with your help. Please follow these guidelines.

1. Do not give out financial information, such as checking and credit card numbers, or your Social Security number.
2. Report lost or stolen checks immediately by calling 706-866-1146.
3. Notify Capital Bank of suspicious phone inquiries such as those asking for account information to “verity a statement” or “award a prize”.
4. Closely guard your debit/ATM Personal Identification Number (PIN) and ATM receipts.
5. Shred any financial solicitations and bank statements before disposing of them.
6. Put outgoing mail into a secure, official Post Service collection box.
7. If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company to find out why.
8. Obtain a free credit report annually by calling 877-322-8228 or by going online at www.annualcreditreport.com