Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council	Press Release
For Immediate Release	July 6, 1999

FFIEC Releases Guidelines on Year 2000 Fraud Prevention

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) today issued guidance urging financial institutions to review their fraud prevention programs to ensure that they are protecting themselves and their customers from Year-2000 related fraud.

The FFIEC acted out of concern that criminal elements will try to defraud financial institutions and their customers using the Year 2000 as cover. The FFIEC guidance encourages institutions to enhance internal controls and security procedures and to communicate with customers about how to protect against Year 2000-related fraudulent schemes.

The FFIEC also issued a consumer advisory that financial institutions can provide to their customers. The "Year 2000-Related Fraud Advisory" alerts customers to several fraudulent schemes involving the Year 2000 and provides advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of these schemes. Specifically, customers are advised that they should:

• Never give out account information, credit card or social security numbers, or other personal information to someone they don’t know, unless they have initiated the contact;
• Report any suspicious requests for confidential account information;
• Receive and review account statements on a timely basis and contact their financial institution to report any suspicious request for confidential account information; and
• Contact their financial institution with any question about its Year 2000 readiness.

To protect themselves against Y2K-related fraud, the guidance urges financial institutions to take a number of steps to strengthen their internal controls. Financial institutions are urged to:

• Review security measures pertaining to cash storage, automated teller machine use, branch activity and electronic transfers;
• Train tellers and customer service representatives to recognize potential risks of Year 2000-related fraud to their financial institution and customers;
• Alert appropriate law enforcement authorities of known or suspected criminal activities; and
• Limit access to computer systems.

The FFIEC Year 2000-related fraud prevention guidance notes that federal regulators have been working closely with banks, thrifts and credit unions for several years to ensure that they take steps to prepare for Year 2000 and protect customers. The federal financial regulators believe financial institutions are making excellent progress and expect the industry will be prepared for the century date change.