FBI Fraud Alert (06/01/06)

Dear Customer:

The staff of Winter Hill Bank is dedicated to advanced security and customer protection. We at Winter Hill Bank would like to address a growing national concern that may effect our customers.

The FBI asked banks to alert their customers to fraudulent activities taking place throughout the country. These activities involve receiving cashier’s or personal checks through Internet transactions or contact with individuals from foreign countries regarding winning, receiving or sending money in relation to a lottery prize or to use their account to receive a deposit.

Hundreds of millions of financial transactions – both online and offline – occur each day. Internet banking and other online financial transactions are often safer than paper-based transactions. However, Winter Hill Bank would like to help you safeguard yourself against any and all forms of fraudulent activity.

Using a variety of safeguards, Winter Hill Bank protects the reliability and security of all our financial transactions. However, the FBI has brought to our attention, new fraudulent methods that are being utilized. To ensure that you do not become a victim of such fraud, please review the questions below. Also, please remember to check your statements every month for any unusual activity and report it to the bank immediately.

Additionally, you should still be very careful about withdrawing money when told the funds are "available." The better course is to wait until the financial institution can confirm funds have been "finally collected."

As always, we will do everything in our power to help protect you and your accounts from fraudulent activity. We only ask that you, too, be watchful for such activity. Together, we can ensure that your accounts remain safe and secure.

If you can answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you could be involved in a fraud or about to be scammed!

• Is the check from an item you sold on the Internet, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc.?
• Is the amount of the check more than the item’s selling price?
• Did you receive the check via an overnight delivery service?
• Is the check connected to communicating with someone by email?
• Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?
• Have you been informed that you were the winner of a lottery, such as Canadian, Australian, El Gordo, or El Mundo, that you did not enter?
• Have you been instructed to either "wire", "send", or "ship" money, as soon as possible, to a large U.S. city or to another country, such as Canada, England, or Nigeria?
• Have you been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country such as Canada, England or Nigeria?
• Are you receiving pay or a commission for facilitation money transfers through your account?
• Did you respond to an email requesting you to confirm, update, or provide your account information?

If you think you are a victim of fraud, please contact your local FBI office:
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm