What’s Happening
What You Should Do To Stay Safe From COVID-19
From Lake Region Healthcare (March 11, 2020)
For now, based upon the information available to us, risk remains low in our region and our message remains focused on prevention. There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-1g, so the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Our best advice is to follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a face-mask.
- CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face-mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
- Face-masks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-1g to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of face-masks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
Additionally, the CDC recommends travelers, particularly those with underlying health issues, defer all cruise ship travel.
About Holiday Phishing/Vishing/Texting Attacks
Phishing attacks aim to dupe a victim into releasing sensitive information that can be used for identity theft. These attacks are on the rise with increased holiday shopping.
In the most recent attack we’re hearing about, a fraudster sends a text message to a cardholder, requesting they call an 800 telephone number because their “account is locked.” When the cardholder calls the number, they’re asked to enter their card number or other personal information, such as their PIN, Social Security number or mobile device codes.
What to do / What not to do
- Legitimate texts to verify transactions will never ask for card numbers or other personal details. If you get a txt from our card company it will come from the following text messages number is 72718.
- If you believe that you have fallen victim to this scam, we suggest immediately hot-carding and shutting down their cards.
- Call the bank right away – 218.736.5485
- If it is after banking hours and have questions about the legitimacy of a call or text, call our fraud team at 866-508-2693. Be ready with identifying information about you and your account.
Stop. Think. Connect. Older Americans Security (DHS)
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ONLINE FRAUD
When seeking the following information online, you can take precautions to protect yourself from fraud:
Medical advice
- Be sure to find out who is providing the information, know where you’re going online.
- Many pharmaceutical companies create websites with information to sell products.
- Look for sites ending in .edu (for education) or .gov (for government).
Banking
- Avoid accessing your personal or bank accounts from a public computer or kiosk, such as the public library.
- Don’t reveal personally identifiable information such as your bank account number, social security number or date of birth to unknown sources.
- When paying a bill online or making an online donation, be sure that you type the website URL into your browser instead of clicking on a link or cutting and pasting it from the email.
Shopping
- Make sure the website address starts with “https,” s stands for secure.
- Look for the padlock icon at the bottom of your browser, which indicates that the site uses encryption.
- Type new website URLs directly into the address bar instead of clicking on links or cutting and pasting from the email.
[By clicking on the links in this message you will be leaving the Security State Bank of Fergus Falls’ Website. We do not make representation as to the completeness or accuracy of the information provided at these websites.]
Author
US-CERT Publications
