First Hawaiian Bank: Hawaii/Guam

(Honolulu, Hawaii February 4, 2008)- First Hawaiian Bank has shut down a phishing site targeting its customers. A fake email titled “FHB Unauthorized Access,” was sent to customers informing them that they had a security alert message. The e-mail asked recipients to click on a “Resolution Center” which takes them to a phishing site that captures their login and password. The phishing site also requested that customers provide an account number for an ATM, a CheckCard or FHB credit card and personal identification or PIN number.

First Hawaiian, which continuously monitors for this type of fraudulent activity 24/7, identified the phishing site and worked with the Internet Service Provider to disable the site.

As a reminder, First Hawaiian Bank does not request account number information, especially the PIN number, which is confidential information kept only by a customer. The bank is reminding people who think that they have received a suspicious email to not open the attachment or click on the link. If they suspect that they have received a fraudulent email, they should contact their banker, the nearest branch or call First Hawaiian Bank's 24-hour Customer Service Center at 844-4444. They can also go to the bank's website to learn more about how they can protect themselves at http://www.fhb.com/about-security.htm.

Fraudulent emails are sent out by individuals interested in tricking people into volunteering their personal financial information so that they can steal money or a person's identity. The word “phishing” describes a computer scam using fake web sites and email to “fish” for valuable confidential personal information.

First Hawaiian Bank ($12.6 billion assets) was founded in 1858 and is Hawaii's oldest and largest bank. It has 58 branches in Hawaii, three on Guam and two in Saipan. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation (www.bancwestcorp.com), a financial holding company.

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