Fraud Alerts
The protection of your private information is important to us. We will do our part to secure our systems but that is only half of the equation – we need your help too! Below are tips for improving your online security habits.
Online Security Tips:
Computer Safety:
- Use anti-virus and anti-malware software and keep it up to date.
- Ensure computers are patched regularly, particularly operating system and key applications, with security patches.
- Install a personal firewall on your computer.
- Use a password to access your computer. Lock the screen when you walk away; and log off when you are done using it.
- Remove unused or out of date software.
- Limit the use of the administrative logon. Create a user profile for daily computing activities and only use the administrative access when needed.
Passwords:
- Protect your password and security questions by not sharing them or writing them down. Bank personnel will never ask for your password.
- Change your password regularly and use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters.
- Avoid using the auto login or ‘remember me’ feature for online banking credentials.
- Use different user names and passwords for online banking than you use for other online activity.
- Avoid using information that can be gathered from social media in your password or for your security questions.
Internet and Email:
- Beware using public computers, kiosks or public wireless hot spots for accessing online banking.
- Avoid clicking on links or pop-ups that display on the screen warning of a software update or other urgent download. If in doubt, go to the website of the software or download in question to verify if it is legitimate.
- The Bank (First Bankers Trust) will not ask you to verify or update account information in an email.
- Be suspicious of e-mails purporting to be from a financial institution, government department or other agency requesting account information, account verification or banking access credentials such as usernames, passwords, PIN (Personal Identification Number) codes and similar information. If you are not certain of the source, do not click any links.
- If you receive an unsolicited email approach it cautiously and ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I know the sender (not always foolproof)?
- Am I expecting the email?
- Is this their normal course of communication?
- If you receive email notifications from social networking sites avoid clicking the links to view the message. Use your web browser to go directly to the site to view the message.
- Don't click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of unsolicited emails. You may be confirming your email address to spammers.
Mobile Security:
- When using you mobile device keep in mind it is essentially a smaller version of your computer or laptop. As such, you need to use the same secure practices to protect your mobile device as you would for your personal computer.
- Use anti-virus and anti-malware applications.
- Patch the operating system and applications frequently.
- Avoid rooting or jail-breaking the device.
- Secure access to the device with a PIN (Personal Identification Number) or password.
- Use caution when accessing the web or opening email and texts.
- Fraudulent texts are becoming more common. The same malware that can infect your computer can infect your mobile device.
- Beware of the applications you download as they may carry infections.
- Be sure to look at what data the applications can access as well. (That game may not be as tempting when you see that it wants to access your private information.)
- Wipe your phone of any personally identifiable information before selling, trading in or discarding.