April 6, 2009

ALERT: The Peoples State Bank customers targeted in new telephone and email phishing scam

The Peoples State Bank is aware and wanted to alert customers of a new automated telephone and email scam that has been reported by both customers and non-customers of The Peoples State Bank. In this scam, an automated telephone message claiming to be from The Peoples State Bank is randomly dialing telephone numbers in the local area stating that the recipient’s account has been disabled, expired, or affected by a security breach. If the recipient continues through the telephone menu system, they will be prompted to enter debit or credit card information, including the card number, PIN, and expiration dates. An email is also being sent out that claims to be from The Peoples State Bank that has a link to a website that looks like The Peoples State Bank website. This website is not the bank’s website and is also an attempt to obtain debit or credit card information.

These telephone calls and emails are not from The Peoples State Bank and are a fraudulent attempt to obtain account information. The Peoples State Bank does not use automated telephone systems to contact customers, and we do not call customers to ask for their debit cards and PIN numbers. We also do not ask for credit card information via email or our website. If you receive a call from this telephone system, please hang up and do not enter any information. If you receive the email, please delete it and do not click on the links in the email.

If you have entered any personal account or debit or credit card information, please contact The Peoples State Bank Bookkeeping Department at 812-876-2229 immediately so that we can take steps to prevent illegal use of this information. Please be assured that The Peoples State Bank maintains high levels of security of all of our customer account information, and our data remains secure. These types of scams target individuals rather than the bank’s systems, and we believe that having as much information available to the public about these types of attacks is the best defense to fight these scams.

Thank you,

Johnny R. Lindsey

Executive Vice President

The Peoples State Bank

The Peoples State Bank is an FDIC-insured local community bank headquartered in Ellettsville, Indiana. The bank has 10 branches located in Monroe and surrounding counties and has served its customers for over 100 years.