Stay safe: tips to protect your identity and accounts
Security is a top priority at Citizens State Bank. You may have noticed that we have moved to the “.bank” domain. The “.bank” domain provides additional security for banks. Unlike “.com” or “.biz” domains that anyone can register, “.bank” is reserved for verified and authenticated financial institutions. This means that fraudsters can’t create look-alike domains for phishing emails or spoof sites. We opted to move to bankcsb.bank to provide an easy way for our customers to authenticate our email communications and website.
While Citizens State Bank uses state of the art security to keep customer information and accounts safe, we rely on customers to keep their passwords and pins secure. Fraudsters are always looking for their next victims and inventing new, convincing scams. The more you understand about identity theft and fraud, the easier it is to recognize scams and keep yourself safe. Please review the information below and discuss it with your family and friends. Identity theft and fraud can happen to anyone. If you suspect your accounts have been compromised, please contact us for help immediately.
Here are some helpful tips to keep your accounts safe
- Protect your account details. Never share your debit or ATM card pin or online banking password.
- When available, always enable multi-factor authentication for online services to provide a second layer of identification, like a confirmation text or email or code from an authenticator app.
- Do not reuse passwords for multiple services. Change passwords you know to be compromised.
- Minimize paper documents with your account numbers and personal information that may end up in the wrong hands. Sign up for eStatements for your online banking, and opt for online billing for credit cards and invoicing. Shred documents that include your personal details before throwing them away.
- Activate account alerts through online banking and use the Brella app for your debit card to help monitor your finances and catch unauthorized transactions as soon as possible.
- Check your bank and credit card statements for any suspicious transactions.
- Keep software up to date by enabling automatic updates.
Avoid “Phishing”
Phishing scams include calls, texts, or emails that appear to be from legitimate companies or government institutions but are actually from scammers fishing for information. Their goal is to trick you into providing personal information such as your Social Security number, account numbers, or passwords so that they can steal your money or identity. Scammers may try to scare you into providing your information over the phone or clicking on a link or attachment. If you click on a link or attachment sent by a scammer, it may install malicious software on your device that allows them to take control. Scammers can spoof the name that shows up on your caller ID, and they can create a scam website and email address that looks similar to the real thing.
Always be suspicious when someone contacts you asking for personal information or asks you to click on a link, even if it appears to come from a familiar business. Don’t open attachments or click on links unless you are sure of the source.
Take a few minutes to check out any requests for personal information. If you receive a suspicious phone call, hang up and call the company back directly through a number you know to be legitimate. If the caller pressures you to act immediately or stay on the line, it is likely a scam. If it’s an email with a link, go to the company’s website by typing in an address you know to be legitimate, rather than clicking a link.
Citizens State Bank will never call or email you to ask for your account numbers or online banking information.
Common scam tip-offs
Be very suspicious if:
- Someone contacts you asking for your personal information out of the blue, even if they say they are from an organization you recognize
- Someone you don’t know sends you a link or attachment
- You are told you have won a prize when you didn’t enter a competition
- You receive an invoice for a product or service you didn’t order
- You are notified that a package you didn’t order is waiting for you
- An email includes misspellings or poor grammar
- Someone is pressuring you to send money or provide personal information immediately and discourages you from checking with another source or telling others
- Someone asks you to pay through unusual methods that cannot be easily reversed such as wiring money, sending cash, prepaid debit cards, or gift cards
- Someone claims they have refunded or paid you too much and asks you to send them the difference
Additional information on online security, avoiding identity theft and scams, and reporting fraud can be found on the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Advice site.
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