Wachovia continues to receive reports of phishing e-mails fraudulently stating that a potential merger will require customers to download a new security certificate to their computer. Other fraudulent e-mails state that as a result of a potential merger, accounts are being deactivated -- or some other problem or system upgrade has arisen -- requiring customers to update accounts.

As a reminder, Wachovia does not:

• Send e-mails regarding account deactivation, system upgrades or other problems.
• Send patches, downloads or upgrades via e-mail.
• Send e-mails asking anyone to provide, update or verify personal, business, account or other confidential information.

If you receive a suspicious e-mail, do not respond to it or click any links within the e-mail. Please forward the suspicious e-mail to abuse@wachovia.com and delete the original e-mail.

When forwarding a suspicious e-mail, do not modify the original subject line or content within the e-mail, and do not include any personal or confidential information such as checking account numbers, user id/passwords, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers.

If you have responded to a suspicious e-mail, please contact Wachovia, 800-WACHOVIA (800-922-4684) immediately; the number is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

John Watkins, director of Online Services, said, “At Wachovia, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of all information.”

To learn more about Wachovia protections and how you can protect yourself, visit the Wachovia Security Plus^SM Customer Center on wachovia.com.