Security Alert – Cyber Crime Emphasizes the Need for Strong, Unique Passwords

Using social engineering techniques, cyber criminals were able to commit account take-over fraud that impacted more than 1,000 users of the online ticket resale service. They used valid login credentials and other personal information acquired through breaches of other businesses or through the use of key-loggers and/or malware on the customers' PC to login to the online ticket resale service website to purchase tickets without the account holder's permission. They were then able to resell the tickets before the events took place. In this case, the systems at the online ticket resale service were NOT breached.

Fifth Third encourages customers to monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity and contact the bank should they detect any suspicious transactions. We also recommend that customers not use the same password on multiple websites, especially related to online banking. The password used for online banking should be unique and should not be used anywhere else.

Additional password best practices:

Make your passwords strong by mixing things up. Use both lower and upper case letters, as well as numbers.
Do not use personal information such as your birthday, pet's name, address, etc. in your passwords.
Change your passwords regularly (e.g., once every 3 months).
Never share your passwords with others at work or at home.
Never provide your passwords in an email or unsolicited phone call.
Do not write your passwords down and keep them near your computer.
Do not use single words found in a dictionary (English or any other language), as they can be easily guessed.
Avoid using the "save ID and password" option. If someone were to gain access to your computer, they would be able to login to any system or account for which you saved the ID and password.
Passwords are your first line of defense when it comes to protecting your home computer and your personal information. Use strong passwords that are difficult to guess and protect them as if they were gold.

Tips to help protect you:

Education is your best defense – know what to look for and what to do. To find out more about how to protect yourself from fraud, visit the Privacy & Security Center at www.53.com/Security.

If you need assistance or discover any suspicious online sites, emails, text messages or other fraudulent activity involving your account, please call a Fifth Third Customer Service Professional at 1-800-676-5869. You may also contact us securely via our website 24 hours a day, seven days a week.