In an effort to help educate and bring awareness to our customers about the dangers of identity theft we have developed this guide. We encourage you to take the steps necessary to learn about identity theft. Please read this information carefully. It contains helpful tips and websites to visit to help you begin learning today about how to protect yourself.

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING IDENTITY THEFT

Dear United Community Bank Customer:

These days technology is king. As helpful as this may be, there are individuals using technology for illegal pursuits. The frequency of identity theft attacks throughout the financial industry has become commonplace. PHISHING ('fish-in) scams have become a major industry problem. Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail as a realistic "lure" to a user, falsely claiming to be an established legitimate company. The "lure" is sent in an attempt to scam or trick unsuspecting consumers into providing private and personal information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the recipient to a fake website that looks just like a familiar website of a legitimate company you do business with.

United Community Bank will NEVER, EVER contact you for your personal information via the web or on the telephone.

It is very important that you understand the dangers of identity theft and that you protect yourself. United Community Bank has always taken extra care to help protect our customers and we have taken extra precautions to be sure ucbi.com, Online Banking, Bill Pay and E-statement sites are safe from illegal pursuits. Should you receive an e-mail or pop-up that claims to be from United Community Bank asking for your personal information, DO NOT follow its instructions and notify the Bank immediately.

In an effort to help educate and protect you from identity theft scams we will continue to provide our customers with additional educational information.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact your local United Community Bank.

Sincerely,

Bill Gilbert
Senior Vice President
Retail Banking

• NEVER, EVER provide your account numbers to anyone unless you do so in person.
• Manage your mailbox - do not leave bill payment envelopes in your mailbox with the flag up. Know your billing cycles.
• Review your credit report from the three credit reporting agencies every year.
• Never leave your purse or wallet unattended.
• Store personal information in a safe place.
• Shred documents you don't need.
• Basic rule-of-thumb, don't take chances

• TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY
• Contact your bank(s) and credit card issuers immediately.
• File a police report.
• Contact the three major credit bureaus.
• Monitor your mailbox closely.
• Maintain a written chronology of all events: what happened, what was lost, steps you took to report the incident, dates, times, contact telephone numbers and the name of every person you talked to.
• Immediately report any incident to the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-IDTHEFT. Steps to Take if You Become a Victim of Identity Theft

• www.antiphishing.org
• www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ (or call 1-877-IDTHEFT)
• www.annualcreditreport.com
• www.ftc.gov
• www.ftc.gov/donotcall
• www.ftc.gov/spam