As part of our continued efforts to protect your financial information, we want you to know about a fraud scheme called "phishing" -- a growing computer scam that attempts to trick you into furnishing personal financial information that can be used to steal money and even identities. The word "phishing" describes a scam using fake Web sites and emails to "fish" for valuable personal information from you. Don't take the bait!

Phishing usually involves a bogus email using legitimate company materials, such as a logo or Web site "look", as a way of enticing email recipients to provide personal financial information (e.g., passwords or credit card and Social Security numbers). The email often tries to create a sense of urgency for you to "verify" confidential information by threatening loss of your online service or warning you of a security breach. Phishing emails usually prompt you to respond immediately to the email or direct you to a seemingly authentic Web site where you are requested to provide your confidential information. If you comply, the thieves often use your information to make withdrawals from your accounts, make online purchases using your credit card, or even sell your personal information to other thieves. Read more about phishing or, to see recent examples of "phishing" emails sent to some First Hawaiian customers, click here.

Many people across the nation have been victimized by responding to one of these official-looking, but entirely bogus, emails.

"STOP, LOOK AND CALL"

If you receive a suspicious email asking you to furnish personal or financial information:

• STOP. Resist any exaggerated claims that you must immediately respond and provide the information requested. Never provide personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited email.
• LOOK. Read the email carefully; ask yourself why the information requested would really be needed. First Hawaiian Bank never sends email messages that request confidential information. If you get such a request, please tell us about it immediately.
• CALL. Call our 24-Hour Customer Service Center at 844-4444 (1-888-844-4444 from the continental U.S., Guam or CNMI) if you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from First Hawaiian Bank. For suspicious email from other organizations, telephone the organization using a number that you know to be legitimate and tell them about the suspicious email.

IF YOU'VE BEEN "PHISHED"

If you believe that you have provided sensitive financial information about yourself through a phishing scam, you should:

• Contact First Hawaiian Bank immediately at 844-4444 (1-888-844-4444 from the continental U.S., Guam or CNMI) to protect your account.
• Report suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission by clicking here.
• Contact the major credit bureaus and request that a fraud alert be placed on your credit report. The bureaus are: Equifax, 1-800-525-6285; Experian, 1-888-397-3742; and TransUnion, 1-800-680-7289.

Customers who clicked on the link in the email were prompted to enter their username and password information into a site that looked similar to Figure 1 below. If the customer entered their username and password information and clicked on the fake "Sign On" button, they were asked to provide more confidential information on another screen, similar to that of Figure 2.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

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