Zappos, the online retailer, reported earlier this week that customer names, e-mail addresses, billing and shipping addresses, phone numbers, and the last four digits of credit card numbers may have been illegally accessed. In response to this breach, Zappos has expired and reset all passwords. To reset your password, visit http://www.zappos.com/passwordchange

For all the details of this breach go to: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-16/zappos-security-breach/52605292/1

Key Points To Know 

  • The Callaway Bank has not received any indication that our customers’ cards or other bank information has been compromised.  Zappos has said that only the last four digits of card numbers may have been illegally accessed, but not the full card number.
  • We encourage you to check your bank statements or account online regularly for any suspicious activity.  If you see anything irregular please contact us immediately.
  • Be on the lookout for emails asking you for information.  Never provide sensitive information in an email. Retailers and banks should never ask you to provide sensitive information like your credit card or Social Security number in an email.  They should already have that information.  Even if the email looks official or directs you to a website that appears to be an official company website, do not provide personal information. Instead, contact the company at a well-known, published web address or phone number.
  • Please contact our Customer Care Team if you have questions or concerns.  
    Columbia:  573.447.1771
    Fulton:  573.642.3322
    Toll Free:  800.446.2265
    [email protected] 

 

Password and Data Protection 

We take security and the protection of your information very seriously and so should you.  This incident is a good reminder for all of us to be mindful of how to manage our passwords and other information.  Some general tips to remember are: 

  • Change your passwords routinely.  At a minimum change them once per year for each of your accounts, even non-financial website accounts like Gmail or Yahoo.
  • Use passwords with numbers and symbols if you can.  This makes it much harder for hackers to crack. 
  • Use different passwords for different accounts.  If a hacker discovers a password for one account they won’t be able to gain access to all of your other accounts.
  • Don’t use common elements like family names, birthdays, or your street name for your passwords.  These are too easy for hackers to guess.
  • Never share or write down your passwords.

So how do you pick a password that meets all of these criteria but still remember?  That is always a challenge but it can be done. 

  • Substitute a symbol or number for a letter.  Example:  ^ could be for a.
  • Pick a word but enter it backwards.
  • Mix lower and upper case letters.
  • Combine two words that would not normally go together into one password.  Example:  FrenchClouds or GrayGrass.

Once you begin with a system you can easily adapt it to create passwords that would be much stronger and harder to crack.