BEWARE OF ONLINE SCAMS

We have received reports that people are receiving email, text messages, and automated phone calls which purport to be from Vantage Bank Texas. In some form or another, these messages request that you provide your debit card number, PIN, and other personal information. These messages are scams sent by identity thieves attempting to steal from you. These scams have been reported to local police, the FBI, and the Secret Service. If you believe you are a victim of one of these scams, please contact Vantage Bank Texas Customer Care immediately.

These are phishing scams. Criminals use bait—either by telling you your card has been deactivated or that you have been selected to receive a cash prize—to lure you into providing your personal financial information. Unfortunately, these types of scams are on the rise. According to email protection vendor Message Labs, phishing scams in the last year have risen by 103 percent in the U.S. Much of this growth has been new scams targeting regional and community banks as well as credit unions.

Vantage Bank Texas does not, and will not, request your debit card number or PIN through email, text messages, or through unsolicited phone calls.

The security of your personal financial information is a top priority at Vantage Bank Texas. We have several safeguards in place to protect you online, including:

• The address bar will display a green security message when you visit the real Vantage Bank Texas website using an up-to-date internet browser.
• Our Online Banking product features multifactor authentication. If you attempt to log on to Online Banking from a new computer, you will be prompted to answer additional security questions.
• Online Banking also features mutual authentication. Your authentication picture is unique to you and indicates you are on the real Vantage Bank Texas website. Do not enter your Online Banking password or any other personal information until you see your authentication picture.

Additional tips to protect your personal information from scammers:

• If you have any questions about an email, phone call, or text message, contact us.
• Use caution when following links contained in emails and be suspicious about websites that do not display an address bar. Scammers will often make their links say one thing, but lead you to another site.
• If you receive a phone call requesting personal information, hang up and call Vantage Bank Texas directly to verify that the call is legitimate.
• Make sure your computers are protected and up to date for viruses, spam, firewall, and operating system security updates.
• Immediately report phishing scams to Vantage Bank Texas by emailing abuse@vantage.bank.

We urge you to protect yourself with these tips as we continue to enhance the security of your accounts. For more information about phishing and other scams, please visit the FTC.