Kinderhook Bank

Fraud Alerts

We have developed this page to keep you better informed about frauds and scams that may be happening.

You will also find helpful links that may provide advice on how to prevent a fraud or scam from impacting you!

Beware of Phone-Based "Vishing" Scams

We've all been warned numerous times about "phishing" scams in which crooks send e-mails claiming to be from legitimate financial institutions, companies or government agencies asking consumers to "verify" or "re-submit" confidential information such as bank account and credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, passwords and personal identification numbers. (The term "phishing" is a high-tech variation of the concept of "fishing" for personal information.)

We also want you to know about "vishing," which stands for "voice phishing." In the typical vishing scam, consumers receive an e-mail supposedly from a financial institution or government agency asking them to call a phone number to provide bank account and other "needed" information using their telephone keypad. Once entered into the automated response system, the information can be used by the crooks to gain unauthorized access to bank accounts or commit identity theft.

The bottom line: Don't call telephone numbers provided in unsolicited e-mails to provide personal identification. When in doubt, contact Kinderhook Bank at 518.758.7101 to verify — NOT the number listed in the e-mail.

Phishing Alert

Don’t get fooled by an email or text message scam!

Think that Kinderhook Bank will ask you for your personal information, via email or a text message? Think again! We will never send an unsolicited email or text message requesting your personal information. These types of emails or text messages are likely a scam!

In addition to "phishing" for information scam artists have been known to send these messages with Spyware attached which is software that can be installed on a cell phone or computer without your consent, and lets the con artist monitor or sometimes even control your device.

If you receive a request to provide personal information, do not reply to the sender and delete the message from your phone or email immediately. You should also report the incident to Kinderhook Bank at Contact us and the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection at www.ftc.gov so these scams can be better tracked.

E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC - October 26, 2009

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.

The subject line of the e-mail states: "check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage." The e-mail tells recipients that, "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets."

The e-mail then asks recipients to "visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage" (a fraudulent link is provided). It then instructs recipients to "download and open your personal FDIC Insurance File to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage."

This e-mail and associated Web site are fraudulent. Recipients should consider the intent of this e-mail as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to on-line banking services or to conduct identity theft.

The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT follow the link in the fraudulent e-mail.

ICBA Warns Consumers of Fraudulent Cashier’s Checks

Helpful Links:
Federal Trade Commission website: www.ftc.gov
Free Credit Report website: www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228
Report ID Theft: www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338)
Equifax: www.equifax.com or call 1-800-525-6285
Experian: www.experian.com or call 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion: www.transunion.com or call 1-800-680-7289