Bremer Bank - Security Alert

Issued December 12, 2012 - Phishing/Vishing Alert

Bremer has confirmed that a small number of people were recently vished. "Vishing" employs text messages, phone recordings, and email to persuade customers to dial a telephone or respond to a telephone call and provide personal information including bank account and credit card numbers, debit card and ATM PINs, and account numbers.

An unknown number of people recently received a call or voicemail that appeared to come from Bremer Bank. The automated call requested the individuals call a number and provide confidential account or financial information. Bremer Bank is currently working to shut down the vishing caller, and determine the extent to which our clients may have been affected.

As a reminder, there are a number of steps you can take to keep your account information confidential:

Do not respond to any suspicious looking email. Even if you do not provide the requested information, opening these messages can be dangerous.
When logging in to your Bremer Online Banking account, be sure the complete website address appears exactly as follows: https://ob.bremer.com/bremer/login.aspx
If you believe you have been targeted and are concerned about your information being compromised, contact the Bremer Phone Bank immediately at 1-800 908-BANK (2265).

Bremer never sends e-mails requesting clients or non-clients to send personal information through e-mail or a web site. To learn more about Bremer’s security and tips to protect your information, visit the Bremer Security Center on Bremer.com.

Security Alert Archive

Issued April 20, 2012 - Global Payments Visa® and MasterCard® Security Breach

Issued March 20, 2012 - Fraud Alert

Issued August 3, 2010 - Reissued September 20, 2010 - Phishing Email Threat

Issued April 1, 2010 - Reissued April 6, 2010 - Phishing Email Threat

Issued January 22, 2009 - Debit Card Security Breach

Issued April 20, 2012 - Global Payments Visa® and MasterCard® Security Breach

Recently Atlanta-based payment processing services provider Global Payments reported a breach resulting in unauthorized access to a portion of its card processing system. Although the compromise did not originate within Bremer Bank, our Loss Prevention department took immediate steps to minimize any possible impacts to our clients. We continue to monitor client accounts and will promptly notify clients if suspicious activity is suspected.

As always, we encourage our clients to protect themselves from identity theft by safeguarding their personal information and closely monitoring their accounts for unauthorized transactions. Clients may visit Bremer.com to review their accounts online or to learn more online security tips.

Clients who notice suspicious activity on their Bremer credit or debit cards should call Bremer Phone Bank at 1-800-908-BANK (2265). Bremer Debit MasterCard is protected by MasterCard Worldwide Zero Liability. Certain restrictions apply. See mastercard.us for details. Bremer Visa Credit Card is protected by Visa Zero Liability. Certain restrictions apply. See visa.com for details.

Issued March 20, 2012 - Fraud Alert

The OCC has issued an alert warning banks and homeowners of a potential scam email or letter being circulated that misrepresents the OCC's involvement in foreclosure relief activities. A group using the names "855LAW5559" and "National Legal Help" has misrepresented that the OCC has directed its organization to send foreclosure grant review correspondence to banking customers. While there are several official federal programs that assist homeowners facing foreclosure, these letters claiming an affiliation with the OCC are not factual and may result in the consumer being targeted by an "up-front-fee" scam. If you have questions about this activity please visit the OCC website for additional information.

Issued August 3, 2010 - Reissued September 20, 2010 - Phishing Email Threat

Bremer has confirmed that a number of people recently received a phishing email that appeared to come from Bremer Bank. Please see the example below. "Phishing" is when a criminal replicates a legitimate web site to deceive individuals into providing personal, financial, or other confidential information.The email requested the individuals click on a link which took the recipient to a login page that looked like our secure online banking tool, Bremer Online Banking. The fraudulent web site asked these individuals to provide confidential client information.

Bremer Bank has shut down the phishing site, and is working to determine the extent to which our clients may have been affected.

Phishemail 8-3-2010

Issued April 1, 2010 - Reissued April 6, 2010 - Phishing Email ThreatBremer has confirmed that a number of people recently received a phishing email that appeared to come from Bremer Bank. Please see the example below. "Phishing" is when a criminal replicates a legitimate web site to deceive individuals into providing personal, financial, or other confidential information.The email requested the individuals click on a link which took the recipient to a login page that looked like our secure online banking tool, Bremer Online Banking. The fraudulent web site asked these individuals to provide confidential client information.

Bremer Bank has shut down the phishing site, and is working to determine the extent to which our clients may have been affected.

Phishemail4-1-2010

At Bremer, our number one priority is protecting our clients and their financial information. That's why we wanted to alert you to a potential security issue with Heartland Payment Systems that could include Bremer Visa Check Card numbers. Heartland Payment Systems announced on Tuesday, Jan. 20, that they found evidence of an intrusion to their processing platform. Heartland processes debit and credit card transactions for more than 250,000 businesses nationwide.

At this point, we are working with authorities to investigate this matter further. We will continue to monitor our customer's accounts and will work closely with Visa to identify any fraudulent behavior.

As always, we encourage our clients to protect themselves from identity theft by closely monitoring their accounts for unauthorized transactions and safeguarding their personal information. Bremer customers can review their accounts online through bremer.com and can review How to protect yourself online for additional consumer security tips.

If you notice anything suspicious, please notify us as soon as possible. You won't have to worry about paying for unauthorized charges because your card is backed by Visa's Zero Liability protection.* If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Bremer Phone Bank immediately at 1-800 908-BANK (2265).

*Visa’s Zero Liability covers U.S.-issued cards only and does not apply to commercial credit cards, ATM transactions, or PIN transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholder must notify card issuer promptly of any unauthorized use. Consult issuer for additional details or visit www.visa.com/security.