Protect Your Accounts

Fraud prevention tools at your finger tips

Whether you’re waiting in line at the grocery store or relaxing on the couch watching your favorite TV show, you can take control of your online accounts with fraud prevention tools to manage your finances securely and conveniently. 

From paying bills to depositing checks, you have the power to protect your financial information and prevent fraud with just a few taps on your device. Embrace the ease and security of modern banking, and take charge of your financial well-being.

  • Sign up for Online Banking and monitor your bank accounts regularly. Our secure online banking system gives you the flexibility and control over monitoring your accounts day or night
  • Sign up for eStatements in Online Banking to prevent theft of paper documents. Paper statements can divulge your financial information if stolen from your mailbox
  • Set up Alerts in Online Banking to help you detect suspicious activity
  • Set up Card Controls in Online Banking to protect use of your debit card
  • Use Mobile Deposit to deposit checks. Don't carry your checks around, which adds to the risk of check fraud
  • Add your debit and/or credit card to a Digital Wallet for extra security with every transaction
  • Use different passwords for each of your accounts, update them often and don't use the same password across online banking accounts.  Password advice and tips provided below
  • Log in with Touch or Face ID, which offers increased security by using your unique biometric data. This means it’s much tougher for anyone else to access your device compared to using regular passwords or PINs
  • Keep documents such as your social security card or passport in a secure area at home or in a safe deposit box
  • Shred private documents such as receipts, applications and bank statements
  • Never provide personal information, access to your computer or transfer money based on unsolicited calls, texts or emails
  • Check your Credit Card accounts often. Reviewing your recent account activity is fundamental to credit card safety.
  • Monitor credit reports.  Check your credit report for any accounts that crooks may have opened in your name. Credit reports are available for free, from each of the three national credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion from https://www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Some monitoring services and credit card companies now allow you unlimited access to credit information, so you could theoretically check every day
  • Don't use your account on an unknown computer. Unless you are sure a computer is secure, be wary of using an unknown computer. Computers can record pages viewed and keystrokes entered among other possible security violations. Granted, this will not be your experience on most computers, but be careful
  • Explore putting a lock or a freeze on your credit reports compiled by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Both a lock and a freeze block access to your credit reports, making it highly unlikely that anyone could open a credit card in your name
woman working on laptop

Use Online Bill Pay to Help Reduce Fraud

It may actually be safer to manage your personal finances electronically. In fact, researchers find it's more likely a thief will lift financial information -- like a bill or a bank statement -- from your mailbox than from your computer. Bill Pay is an online service that allows you to pay your bills securely through Online Banking. You can set up one-time payments, schedule future payments or create recurring. Discover the security and benefits of Online Bill Pay. 

Password best practices

A strong password is your primary defense against cyber threats and unauthorized access. By creating a robust password, you can reduce the risk of identity theft and financial loss. Remember, a strong password is a small step that makes a big difference in safeguarding your financial well-being.

Don't Reuse Passwords. Even if you/your organization has not been breached, password reuse puts it at risk.  Cybercriminals know that if a password was ever used before, it's likely to be found again. With a solid cracking dictionary, the cyber criminal never needs to resort to brute force guessing and hashed passwords become only an inconvenience.  Cracking dictionaries are commonly shared among cybercriminals. Use different passwords for each account.

Don't use commonly used passwords. Avoid repetitive or sequential strings, variations on the site name, and personal information as those are the passwords hackers are most likely to guess.

Don't use compromised passwords. Always change your passwords every 6 to 12 months, this is because new data is being stolen every day and sold.  If you have a data breach or you know your password has been compromised, then it is time for a password change immediately.  

Increase password length & simplicity. Keep passwords simple, long and memorable since longer passwords are harder for hackers to break. 

Phrases, lowercase letters, and typical English words work well. Experts no longer suggest special characters and a mix of lower and uppercase letters. If you can picture it in your head, and no one else could, that's a good password.