Safety & Security

Best practices to keep your card and money safe

Debit cards and credit cards are different. When you use your debit card for purchases, the money is directly deducted from your bank account, unlike a credit card where you buy now, pay later. With this in mind, it's important to monitor your checking account regularly and report any suspicious activity to your bank immediately. Here are some other tips to help you keep your card and money safe. 

Protect your PIN number

• Never provide your PIN in response to an unsolicited phone call, e-mail, text message or other communication you didn't originate.
• At the register, run your card as a credit rather than a debit.
• Immediately, report a lost or stolen debit card or PIN to your bank.

Avoid or limit using your debit card for online purchases

• Consider designating a credit card for online purchases to avoid funds being immediately drawn from your bank account.
• Devote a bank account for online purchases and limit the balance.
• Verify the website is secure. Look for a security symbol, such as a padlock, next to the URL. Hover your mouse over it and view the site information.

Don't use public Wi-Fi to access personal or financial information or to make purchases

• Public Wi-Fi is convenient, but not secure
• Use a private, password-protected wireless network to access your online banking, to pay bills and to make online purchases. You may consider setting up VPN encryption for further protection.

Report problems or suspicious activity immediately

• To limit your losses and liability, you must notify your bank within two business days after learning of the loss or theft of your card. 
• If you have the SecurLOCK app, lock your card as soon as you suspect a fraudulent charge or lose your card and call your bank immediately.
• The Federal Trade Commission offers a guide for reporting lost or stolen debit, credit or ATM cards.
• Report lost or stolen cards to your bank immediately.

Resources are provided as information only and should not be construed as legal advice.

Recommendations

Cardholder awareness is vital to combat fraud. Should you receive any questionable calls, please make sure you do not provide personal information.

In addition:

• Make sure you, the cardholder, initiate the contact and the institution verifies your identity with questions only you would know.
• To verify whether a call is legitimate, call your financial institution or visit its website, using phone numbers or internet addresses from your bank statement or account documentation.
• Do not call back a number provided over the phone or click on a link in an email.
• Most communications will include something that will concern or excite the victim.
• If you have been the victim of a scam, file a complaint with local law enforcement.
• Notify your financial institution.

Identity Theft

How can someone steal your identity?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other identifying information, without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes.

Identity theft is a serious crime.

People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years — and their hard-earned money — cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans for education, housing, or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.

How to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft:

• Check your credit report annually
• Don't give out personal information
• Review your bills and statements on a regular basis
• Guard your mail and trash from theft
• Shred items that contain personal information
• Document the contents of your wallet or purse, including emergency contact numbers on credit cards
• Report lost or stolen checks or credit cards immediately

For more information on preventing Identity Theft contact: https://www.identitytheft.gov.

What to do if you fall victim to identity theft:

• Contact your financial institution immediately and alert it to the situation
• If you have disclosed sensitive information in a phishing attempt, you should also contact one of the three major credit bureaus and discuss whether you need to place a fraud alert on your file, which will help prevent thieves from opening a new account in your name. Here is the contact information for each bureau's fraud division:
  
  Equifax
  800.525.6285
  P.O. Box 740250
  Atlanta, GA 30374
  
  Experian
  888.397.3742
  P.O. Box 1017
  Allen, TX 75013
  
  TransUnion
  800.680.7289
  P.O. Box 6790
  Fullerton, CA 92634

If you feel you have been a victim of Identity Theft, contact your bank or the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).

How to Protect Yourself from Online Fraud

The increased sophistication and rapid growth of online fraud continues to be a challenge. These scams appear in many forms, especially fraudulent emails and websites, spyware and viruses, and pop-up advertisements.

Fraudulent Emails and Websites

This particular type of fraud occurs when someone poses as a legitimate company to obtain personal data, such as account numbers, and then makes transactions with this information illegally. A common form of this scam is called "phishing". Phishing refers to cyber-criminals who attempt to gather sensitive personal information from consumers through emails and/or through imitations of legitimate websites. To combat phishing, please remember that Security Bank will never ask for sensitive information from you via e-mail (ex. Social security number, User ID, password or account number, or ATM/debit card number and PIN).

Spyware and Viruses

Spyware and viruses are destructive programs loaded on your computer without your permission or knowledge. Spyware appears as a legitimate application on your computer but actually monitors your activity and collects sensitive information. Viruses are harmful programs spread through the Internet that can compromise the security of your computer. Maintaining up-to-date anti-spyware and virus protection software and firewalls help avoid these risks.

Pop-Up Advertisements

Pop-ups appear in a separate browser window and, when clicked, can download harmful spyware or adware to your computer. While some make legitimate offers, many pop-ups are attempts to obtain your sensitive information. Security Bank will never ask you to verify personal financial information in a pop-up advertisement.

Helpful Tips to Protect You

While online banking is safe, as a general rule you should always be careful about giving out your personal financial information over the Internet. Review the following tips to protect your personal information while using the Internet.

• Regularly log into your online accounts to verify that your bank, credit, and debit card statements and transactions are legitimate.
• Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information.
• If you receive an unsolicited e-mail from any source asking you to click on a link to visit a site and input personal data, be very wary of it.
• Be cautious about opening any attachments or downloading any files from e-mails, regardless of who sent them.
• Instead of clicking on links in emails, type in the URL that you're familiar with, such as www.securitybankok.com, or select the Web address saved in your browser's "Favorites."
• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is and should be avoided.
• If you have any doubts about the validity of an email, contact the sender using a telephone number you know to be genuine.
• Before you initiate an online transaction, make sure your personal information is protected by looking for indicators that the site is secure. URLs for secure sites typically begin with https instead of http and display a lock in the lower right corner of your browser.
• Use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date.
• Make sure you have applied the latest security patches for your computer. Most software providers, like Microsoft, offer free security patches and alert you when they are available to install.
• If you have broad-band Internet access, such as cable modem or DSL, make sure that you have a firewall.

For some helpful resources on how to avoid scams, secure your computer, and protect your children online, visit: onguardonline.gov.

For additional information on protecting yourself and your information online, visit: staysafeonline.org.

Password Protection

We take numerous steps to keep your account information secure. However, you must take precautions as well. It is critical that you use a highly secure password for all of your financial accounts. Social Networking sites like Facebook have become a source of personal information used by someone trying to perpetuate fraud. Consequently, you should avoid using your pet's name, child's name, or any other publicly known information that could easily be guessed.

The most secure passwords are a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters and not simply an address, phone number, or birth date. For added security, remember to change your password on a regular basis and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.

• Choose a password – Your online password, along with your User ID, authenticate your identity when accessing online accounts. Our online banking system has several password requirements, allowing you to establish a complex password that is not easily guessable. Your password should include a combination of the following: upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Keep your password safe – Even the best password is worthless if it's written on a note attached to your computer or kept in your checkbook. Memorize your password and never tell it to anyone.
• Change your password regularly – Our online banking system will prompt you to change your password periodically. You also have the capability to change your password at any time when you are logged into the online banking system.
• Remember to log off properly – You may not always be at your own computer when banking online. Therefore, it's important to log off using the provided link to exit your online banking session. If you forget to do so, the system automatically signs you off after 20 minutes of inactivity.

How We Protect Your Online Security

The security of your financial information is one of Security Bank's most important responsibilities. We maintain our Online Banking platform using stringent information security guidelines and use many lines of defense to protect your account information. From dual authentication, SSL, encryption software, high-end firewalls, and automatic log off, your information is always safe and secure.

• Dual Authentication ensures that you, the legitimate user, is communicating with us and not a fraudster who does not have authority to access your online accounts. If our system does not recognize the location from which you are attempting to log in, you will be required to go through some additional verification procedures before you are able to gain access.
• SSL stands for "Secure Socket Layer." This technology allows users to establish sessions with secure Internet sites, meaning they have minimal risk of external violation. Once inside the Online Banking site, our use of SSL technology keeps you and your account information secure.
• Encryption turns words and phrases into coded language. All of your online activities during an Online Banking session become a string of unrecognizable numbers before entering the Internet. We employ the strongest forms of cryptography that are commercially available for use over the Internet, so your account information will read as gibberish to everyone but you and our financial institution.
• High-end firewalls protect our computer systems interacting with the Internet against unauthorized access by outside individuals or networks.
• Automatic log off is done automatically after 20 minutes of inactivity during an Online Banking session. If you forget to log off after you finish your online session, the system will automatically log you out to prevent anyone else from accessing your information.

From the moment account information leaves your computer to the time it enters our Online Banking system; we take numerous steps to ensure your information is secure in cyberspace. We make sure only authorized people with secure browsers can access our system.

• You must enter your password, and we must verify it before you are allowed to access your accounts.
• Our online banking system requires the use of a strong password consisting of a combination of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. Passwords will expire after 90 days.
• If we are unable to verify your login information, we will initiate an identity verification process in an effort to help you get logged into the online banking system. If we are unable to verify your identity, you will be asked to contact the bank for further assistance.
• Only browsers supporting the SSL security protocol with 128 bit encryption can be used to log on to our system.
• Once online, we make sure only you can view any information about your accounts.
• SSL uses a digital signature to make sure that no one can send you false information; your browser will only accept information from the Online Banking system.
• SSL also uses the highest level of encryption supported by your browser to encrypt all information before it is sent. This ensures that only the browser that logged on can read any information the system supplies.

Learn more about cybersecurity from the FDIC Consumer News newsletter.

At Security Bank, we understand how important your financial information is and we have taken steps to make sure our customers have the highest level of security features available within our online banking product. Here is information concerning the security in place with this system:

Software and Hardware:

Our proven, state-of-the-art software and hardware technologies ensure that your data is safe. We use SSL encryption, firewalls, filtering routers, and a variety of authentication techniques. These methods guard your data as it passes from your computer to our systems and back again.

Encryption:

Security with the World Wide Web begins with your browser. To protect transactions, we accept log-ins originating from a browser that supports both regular encryption (40-bit) and the highest level of encryption (256-bit). Encryption prevents transactions from being read by unauthorized parties over the Internet. Secure browsers employ secure sockets layer (SSL) technology to communicate with servers. This technology encrypts (or scrambles) your account information so it's virtually impossible for anyone to read it. Further, for security reasons, your browser can't remember your password, so you have to enter it each time you begin an Online Banking session by logging in.

Timeout:

If your online banking session is inactive for 8 minutes (that is, you have not submitted any transactions), your session automatically terminates, and you will need to log on again. Online Banking is designed this way to provide you with maximum security in case you forget to log out.

Cookies:

Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser in order to enable our systems to recognize your browser and to enhance our services and provide you with a more effective web experience. We do not combine any personally identifying information about you with this cookie. For more information about the use of cookies, please see our Privacy statement.

So as you can see, you can rest assured that your financial information is secure!