Transact only through Secure Websites

Do business only with companies you know and trust. Make sure that you carefully review the privacy and security statements of the websites on which you transact business.

Beware of phony "look alike" websites, or phishing sites, which are designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information.

• Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) refers to fraudulent internet communications designed to deceive consumers in to sharing sensitive information. The Phishers scam their victims by unsuspectingly directing people to illegitimate websites that would require them to sign up or to provide personal information and/or account passwords. These are eventually used against the unsuspecting clients through unauthorized access of their electronic banking facilities and accounts. 

• To prevent this, please do not access the Sterling Bank of Asia website from a link provided in an e-mail, but only by typing in the actual URL (Website Address) – www.sterlingbankasia.com.

• Please be reminded that Sterling Bank of Asia will NEVER ask for personal and/or account information via e-mail, and clients should report any suspicious e-mail that requests for these types of information. In all likelihood, phishing will continue to evolve into the use of more sophisticated tactics. For this reason, it is imperative to always think twice before you provide any personal information over the internet.

• Some measures that could protect you from phishing:

1. Begin your Online Banking session by manually typing the web address of the bank in your internet browser.
2. The Official URL/Website Address of the bank: www.sterlingbankasia.com
3. Do not click on any link in an e-mail when you are not sure of its legitimacy or origin, even if it seems genuine.
4. Avoid disclosing/sending personal or account details via e-mail.
5. Delete unsolicited or suspicious e-mails with attachments immediately without opening them, even if you may think that it came from someone you know.
6. Avoid sharing ID information, usernames and passwords. As much as possible, change your password regularly. It is safer to make it in alphanumeric format (ex. Abcd1234$@), so as to make it harder for phishers and hackers alike to guess or tap your account's password.
7. Be aware that some internet companies that you do business with maybe “phished”. In addition to this, if by any chance you pay for an online service and your credit card information is on file with a certain internet-based company, be cautious of e-mails from those companies that request you to validate your credit card information or deposit account numbers.
8. If you think you have responded to a suspicious e-mail, go to Sterling Bank of Asia's online facility (http://www.sterlingbankasia.com) immediately and change your password.

• Avoid public computer terminals such as those in cyber cafes when accessing your bank account information. If you do use these public terminals, make sure to clear the memory cache and transaction history before closing the internet browser to remove any remaining information and avoid incidents of the stored information being retrieved by unwanted parties.

1. Launch your internet Explorer and click on
   "Tools" > "internet Options" > "General".
2. Under "Temporary internet Files", click on "Delete files" > "Delete Cookies".
3. Under "History", click on "Clear History".
4. Click on "OK" to save the changes.