E-mail Fraud

Important Information from Progressive

Thank you for choosing The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies for your vehicle insurance needs. We are committed to protecting your privacy and earning your trust.

According to recent media reports, e-mail "phishing" attacks are on the increase. Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail falsely claiming to be an established business in an attempt to trick the reader into surrendering private information that can be used for identity theft or to access personal accounts. We want to share what we know and what you should do to protect yourself.

Commonly, the e-mail will say that the company needs to verify information about you to update your account, improve its Web site security, or for other legitimate-sounding purposes. To protect yourself against phishing scams:

• NEVER give your password to anyone.
• NEVER provide personal information, such as bank account or Social Security Number, in response to e-mails requesting this information.
• Avoid clicking through links in e-mails asking for personal information. Instead, open a new web browser and type in a known URL every time you log in to your account.

When you bought your insurance from Progressive, we collected information about you. We verify this information when you call us or go online to help ensure that you are who you say you are.

However, we will not send an unsolicited e-mail to you that requests, or that links to a Web site that requests, sensitive personal information, such as your:

• Bank account, credit or debit card numbers
• PINs or security code numbers from the back of a credit card
• Social Security number

If you ever receive an e-mail from Progressive that you’re unsure about, please forward it to emailfraud@email.progressive.com. We will be able to tell you if it is a legitimate e-mail from Progressive.

Avoid Being "Phished"

Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help you avoid being phished:

1. If you receive an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply and don’t click on the link in the message, either.
2. Use anti-virus software and a firewall and keep them up to date.
3. Don’t e-mail sensitive personal or financial information; e-mail is not a secure method of transmitting personal information.
4. Review your credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges.
5. Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sends them.
6. If you believe you’ve been scammed, file a complaint at ftc.gov, then follow the instructions at the FTC’s Identity Theft Website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.