The IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) continues to receive complaints reporting telephone calls from individuals claiming to be with Tech Support from a well-known software company. The callers have very strong accents and use common names such as "Adam" or "Bill." Callers report the user's computer is sending error messages, and a virus has been detected. In order to gain access to the user's computer, the caller claims that only their company can resolve the issue.

The caller convinces the user to grant them the authority to run a program to scan their operating system. Users witness the caller going through their files as the caller claims they are showing how the virus has infected their computer.

Users are told the virus could be removed for a fee and are asked for their credit card details. Those who provide the caller remote access to their computers, whether they paid for the virus to be removed or not, report difficulties with their computer afterwards; either their computers would not turn on or certain programs/files were inaccessible.

Some report taking their computers to local technicians for repair and the technicians confirmed software had been installed. However, no other details were provided.

In a new twist to this scam, it was reported that a user's computer screen turned blue, and eventually black, prior to receiving the call from Tech Support offering to fix their computer. At this time, it has not been determined if this is related to the telephone call or if the user had been experiencing prior computer problems.

Bank of Ann Arbor is pleased to announce the opening of its downtown Saline, Michigan office, its seventh banking center.  Longtime Saline resident, Walt Byers has been named Saline District President.  Shelley Rankin, an active community supporter, has been selected as Branch Manager.   

The Saline Chamber of Commerce will conduct an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:30am.  The public is welcome to attend.

Bank of Ann Arbor completely gutted and remodeled a former Bank of America building at 179 E. Michigan Avenue, which was vacated when they moved to the outskirts of Saline. The new office features sit-down teller stations and a cybercafé with complementary coffee from Saline’s Drowsy Parrot. The hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, Friday 9:00am to 6:00pm and Saturday 9:00am to Noon.  The phone number is 734-470-5001.

“We are excited to bring the personal service that Bank of Ann Arbor is known for to businesses and residents of Saline,” said Timothy Marshall, President and CEO, Bank of Ann Arbor. “The design of this banking center is similar to our Ellsworth and Traver Village offices because it reflects the warmth and professionalism of the service our clients will receive from Shelley and her team.   The traditional branch with teller cages and dark paneling has been replaced with a light, open environment that invites people to linger, ask questions and learn grow Saline and the surrounding areas."

All Bank of Ann Arbor offices will be closed on Monday, January 21, 2013 in observance of the federal holiday, Martin Luther King Day.  We will reopen at usual times on Tuesday.  ATMs and Online Banking will still be available 24/7.

SplashData.com recently published the following information regarding the most popular 2012 passwords on the web. The ranking was based on password information from compromised accounts posted by hackers online. The article was also featured on blogs.avg.com.

This year, the list is back! So it's time to see how, if at all, users have learned their lessons about what makes a strong password.

Here's the full list and how it compares to last year's:

#	Password	Change from 2011
1.	password	Unchanged
2.	123456	Unchanged
3.	12345678	Unchanged
4.	abc123	Up 1
5.	qwerty	Down 1
6.	monkey	Unchanged
7.	letmein	Up 1
8.	dragon	Up 2
9.	111111	Up 3
10.	baseball	Up 1
11.	iloveyou	Up 2
12.	trustno1	Down 3
13.	1234567	Down 6
14.	sunshine	Up 1
15.	master	Down 1
16.	123123	Up 4
17.	welcome	New
18.	shadow	Up 1
19.	ashley	Down 3
20.	football	Up 5
21.	jesus	New
22.	michael	Up 2
23.	ninja	New
24.	mustang	New
25.	password1	New

As you can see, people haven’t changed their password habits a whole lot in a year.

If your password is included on that list, or is a close variation of these passwords, it's really important to take action now!

Fixing your password problem can be very simple;

Long is strong: The longer the password, the more difficult it will be for someone to try and crack it using brute force. So, instead of a single word, with a jumble of symbols, numbers and characters, try a string of words. Use a line of your favorite poem, song or just something memorable. Feel free to add your lucky number at the end if you like.

Something like: "withnodirectionhome1085".

A famous Dylan lyric like this will always be easy to remember, and say you were born in October 1985. This means that you've suddenly got a 23 character password, which is much harder to crack than something much harder to remember such as "Phu!R7tRjX".

Variety is the spice of life: The trouble with smaller, complex passwords is that they can be a real hassle to remember, often forcing you to use the same password for multiple accounts which is never a good idea. So another benefit of having long, easy to remember passwords is that you keep many passwords.

 

Source: Internet Crime Complaint Center's 01/07/2013 Scam Alerts. 

 

Note: third party links are provided for your convenience only. Bank of Ann Arbor does not control their content.

Bank of Ann Arbor announced on January 2, 2013 that it has acquired Ervin Leasing Company, a privately held national equipment leasing and finance company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ervin Leasing, a subsidiary of parent company Ervin Industries, has been a highly successful and growth oriented leasing company since its founding in 1978. After successfully navigating the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, the company began to ramp up sales in 2010. However, Ervin Leasing’s funding sources, previously providing lines of credit in the range of $100 million, remained on the sidelines, leading to Ervin Industries’ decision to seek out a new owner who could provide funding for growth. After seeking proposals from banks and private equity firms, Bank of Ann Arbor was chosen as the successor to Ervin Industries as the new owner of Ervin Leasing.

“We are super excited about this opportunity to join forces with Ervin Leasing and further diversify our product offerings,” said Timothy G. Marshall, Bank of Ann Arbor’s President & CEO. “Bank of Ann Arbor has a substantial level of liquidity to fund the anticipated growth of the newly acquired leasing company. Having done business with Ervin Leasing for over ten years, we know the company very well and admire the strong and experienced management team and its seasoned employees who will all join our Bank of Ann Arbor team.”

“We chose Bank of Ann Arbor as the new owner of Ervin Leasing based on our strong desire to affiliate with a company who would hire all of our local staff, has a similar culture that is growth oriented and a great place to work, and has an impeccable reputation,” said Bruce Gaffney, President and CEO of Ervin Leasing   “We also have maintained a very strong credit culture over the history of the company which is similar to the credit culture at Bank of Ann Arbor. I am confident that our companies will be a great fit for years to come.”

Ervin Leasing will remain at its current office location at 3893 Research Park Dr., Ann Arbor, Michigan. Customers who have questions about today’s transaction may call Ervin Leasing at 734-332-5400.

For more information contact:

Timothy Marshall, Bank of Ann Arbor (734)662-1600

Bruce Gaffney, Ervin Leasing (734)332-5400

About Bank of Ann Arbor

Bank of Ann Arbor is a locally owned and operated bank with total assets and assets under management of over $1.5 billion, serving people and businesses in the Ann Arbor area with offices at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Ann Arbor, in the Traver Village Shopping Center, at the corner of Stadium and Liberty streets, on West Ellsworth Road in Pittsfield Township, on West Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti and in Plymouth on Ann Arbor Road. Its newest office will open on Michigan Avenue in downtown Saline in early 2013.  The web site is www.boaa.com. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About Ervin Leasing

Ervin Leasing Company, founded in 1978, is a well-established small ticket, $2,000 - $150,000, equipment leasing and finance company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The company has a national presence in the small ticket vendor space servicing the general equipment categories with emphasis on strong service and self-underwriting solutions.  For more information please visit www.ervinleasing.com

About Ervin Industries

Ervin Industries, founded in 1920, is a pioneer in the technical development of cast steel abrasives.  Ervin’s products and technologies represent the world standard for quality innovation and commitment to the success of customers.  Ervin Industries is the largest manufacturer of steel abrasives in North America and the leading exporter from North America.  Ervin’s AMASTEEL abrasives are used in the production of a wide array of products with the primary applications being blast cleaning, peening, cutting, and etching.  For more information please visit www.ervinindustries.com.

In a story by Jenn McKee on AnnArbor.com and in the Thursday print edition, Bank of Ann Arbor's Sonic Lunch coordinator, Matthew Altruda is profiled as One to Watch in 2013. Congratulations, Matthew!

Matthew Altruda doesn't play music, but he makes music happen.

Note: links to third party sites are provided for your convenience only. Bank of Ann Arbor does not control their content.