Security:  Customer Awareness and Education

The following information is provided to help both our consumer and commercial customers.  For information on the protections provided by the Bank, refer to our full Product and Services brochure, as well as the "On-line Banking" and "Debit Card" sections below.  Since criminals often rely on trying to trick banking customers into giving out information by using mass e-mails, text messages, and telephone calls, we discuss how and when the Bank may contact customers on an unsolicited basis in the "How We Contact You" and "Things You Can Do" sections.

 

HOW WE CONTACT YOU

In certain cases we may need to contact your regarding your account or activity on your account.

 

Telephone Calls

In most cases we will call you directly using a phone number that you have provided to us.  Very often it will be a bank employee known to you personally that places in the call.  If you do not know the person calling you, then it is best ask which location they are calling from, tell the person that you will call the bank directly, end the call, and then call the bank using a phone number known to you or listed on our web site.

 

E-mail and Text Messages

In some cases we may e-mail or text you directly.  These messages will always be from a bank employee that is known to you personally, and will almost always been in response to a conversation that you initiated or will deal with a financial transaction that you are aware of.  In we believe that a debit card transaction if fraudulent, we may send you a text message asking if you want to authorize the transaction.  For more details see our Debit Card Alerts page.

 

Requests for Your Account Number and Other Personal Information

We will never contact you in any way and ask for your full bank account numbers or debit card numbers.  We already have this information.  In many cases we will ask for the last four digits or last six digits to verify that we are viewing the correct account, but you should never give out your full account number.

 

We will never contact you on an unsolicited basis and ask for your Internet Banking credentials.  You should never give out this information to anyone unless you have initiated the conversation and you have not doubt that you are talking to an employee of First National Bank of Bosque County.  In some cases we may give you the last few digits of your log-in ID to confirm that we have the correct account, but we will never ask you for your password.

 

Automated Telephone Calls, Bulk E-mail, and Group Text Messages

We never use automated telephone calls to contact our customers.

We occasionally use the group e-mail features of our Internet Banking or Bill Pay applications to send information about the services.  These e-mails only appear within the application and not with your normal e-mail, and we will never ask for personal information via these e-mails.

We never send group text messages.

 

DEBIT CARDS

Protecting your Visa® debit card from fraud requires 24/7/365 days a year monitoring. Our fraud detection programs monitor your card transactions for any suspicious activity. If potentially fraudulent transactions are taking place, we will contact you immediately so that future fraudulent transactions can be avoided.

 

Fraud analysis

Our credit card fraud analysis performs a complete review of unusual authorizations, address changes and payments to secure your accounts against fraudulent activity.

 

Fraud monitoring.

We review how and where your card is being used and will block potential fraud if abnormal patterns are detected.

 

Country blocking

We block transactions on your Visa® debit card that originate in foreign countries.  This greatly reduces the likelihood of fraudulent transactions.  If you will be traveling to any foreign countries, please call us before you leave and we will open your card for transactions in the countries you are visiting for the length of your trip.

 

Prompt account credit.

Your account will be credited promptly for fraudulent transactions.  You will need to complete a dispute form explaining the nature of the fraud.  You can do this at any of our locations.

 

Liability for unauthorized transactions

You are not liable for certain unauthorized debit card transactions, subject to the terms and conditions detailed in our Product and Services brochure.  You should always guard your debit card and PIN from unauthorized use. If you share this information with someone, all transactions they initiate with the information are considered as authorized by you, even for transactions you did not intend for them to make.

 

Review your account statement regularly and report any unauthorized activity promptly. In many cases we will credit you for funds transferred from your accounts up to the amount of your loss when you notify the bank within 60 days of the transaction first appearing on your statement. If you do not notify us within these 60 days, you may not be credited for subsequent transactions. Additionally, we will credit you for any bank fees resulting from your loss.  Federal Reserve Regulation E and Visa guidelines govern the situations for which we will credit your account and they ensure that you do not suffer losses due to unauthorized transactions.  See our Electronic Funds Transfer Disclosure for more details.

 

Privacy policy

Your privacy is important to us. Our Internet Privacy page gives more details, and our Consumer Privacy Notice explains our privacy commitment and practices. It identifies the personal information that we collect and hold, and describes how we use, share and secure it.

 

INTERNET BANKING

We're committed to making Internet Banking safe and secure.  We use fraud prevention and security systems from industry leader RSA to help protect you.  We protect our computer network using anti-virus software to detect and prevent computer viruses, and we use firewalls with intrusion prevention technology to block unauthorized access by individuals or networks.

 

We use encryption technology, such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL), on our Internet Banking  website to transmit information between you and the bank.  Authentication ensures that you are communicating with us and prevents another computer from impersonating the Bank.  This encryption scrambles transferred data so that it cannot be read by unauthorized parties, and it uses data integrity to verify that the information you send to us is not altered during the transfer. The system detects if data was added or deleted after you sent the message. If any tampering has occurred, the connection is dropped.

 

Liability for unauthorized transactions

You are not liable for certain unauthorized On-line Banking transactions, subject to the terms and conditions detailed in our Product and Services brochure.  You should always guard your Log-in ID and Password from unauthorized use. If you share this information with someone, all transactions they initiate with the information are considered as authorized by you, even for transactions you did not intend for them to make.

 

Federal Reserve Regulation E governs the situations for which we will credit your account and it ensures that you do not suffer losses due to unauthorized transactions.  This regulation does not apply to transfers made using Internet Banking; however, since the Bank limits transfers in Internet Banking to accounts that you own, these protections are not normally needed.  See our Electronic Funds Transfer Disclosure for more details.

 

Consumers, Sole Proprietorships, and other Businesses have different requirements and liabilities with regard to unauthorized transactions

Consumers and Sole Proprietors: Review your account statement regularly and report any unauthorized activity promptly. In many cases we will credit you for funds transferred from your accounts up to the amount of your loss when you notify the bank within 60 days of the transaction first appearing on your statement. If you do not notify us within these 60 days, you may not be credited for subsequent transactions. Additionally, we will credit you for any bank fees resulting from your loss. See the Product and Services brochure for details.

 

Businesses (other than Sole Proprietors): Review your account statement regularly and report any unauthorized activity promptly. We will have no liability to you for any unauthorized activity made using your Log-in ID and Password that occurs before you have notified us and we have had a reasonable opportunity to act on that notice. See the Product and Services brochure for details.

 

Information security

Keeping financial information secure and confidential, including within Interent Banking, is one of our most important responsibilities.   Our system monitors the location from which you log-on, the computer and browser you log-on with, as well as other details.  The system then compares these past details with the details from each new session and if something appears unusual, then you will be presented with the challenge questions that you have previously answered.

 

Never leave your computer or mobile device unattended during an Internet Banking session. It's easy to protect your information by signing off from Internet Banking when you are finished with each session. To ensure cached copies of your Internet Banking Web pages are cleared, always close your browser after signing off.

 

Safeguarding your privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Our Internet Privacy page gives more details, and our Consumer Privacy Notice explains our privacy commitment and practices. It identifies the personal information that we collect and hold, and describes how we use, share and secure it.

 

TYPES OF FRAUD

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when a person's identity is stolen for the purpose of opening credit accounts, stealing money from existing accounts, applying for loans, even renting apartments or committing crimes.  Victims of identity theft often aren't aware that they've been targeted, until they find unknown charges on their bank or credit card statements, are called by a collections agency or are denied credit.

 

Pharming

This term refers to the redirection of an individual to an illegitimate website through technical means.  For example, an on-line banking customer, who routinely logs in to his on-line banking website, may be redirected to an illegitimate website instead of accessing his or her bank's website.

 

Phishing

In a typical case, the consumer receives an e-mail appearing to originate from a financial institution, government agency or other entity that requests personal or financial information.  The e-mail often indicates that the consumer should provide immediate attention to the situation described by clicking on a link.  The provided link appears to be the website of the financial institution, government agency or other entity.  However, in "phishing" scams, the link is not to an official website, but rather to a phony website.  Once inside that website, the consumer may be asked to provide a Social Security number, account numbers, passwords or other information used to identify the consumer, such as the maiden name of the consumer's mother or the consumer's place of birth.  When the consumer provides the information, those perpetrating the fraud can begin to access consumer accounts or assume the person's identity.  Read more about Phishing.

 

Smishing

 This is the practice of targeting cell phone users with mobile text messages that attempt to trick them into revealing personal information, which may later be used to commit fraud and identity theft.  Known as "smishing," these text messages might ask a recipient to register for an online dating service -- then try to sneak a virus onto the users' device. In addition to virus-like "worms," which can spread through and disrupt a network, other scams are surfacing.

 

Some messages warn that the consumer will be charged unless he cancels his supposed order by going to a website or calling a phone number that then extracts such credit card numbers and other private data.  Other messages warn the consumer that their debit/credit card has been deactivated and they need to call a phone number to re-activate it.  "Smishing" is derived from the familiar "phishing." The "sm" comes from SMS, the protocol used to transmit text messages via cellular devices.

 

Spyware

The term spyware refers to technologies that collect information about a user without his or her knowledge and reports that information to a third party.  Certain forms of spyware can intercept sensitive and confidential information about an organization or user, including passwords, credit card numbers and other identifying data.  As a result, spyware has significant confidentiality, integrity and availability implications for our banking customers.

 

BANK CONTACTS

If you have questions about your account, contact our nearest location or call our main office at 254-932-5345.

 

THINGS YOU CAN DO  (Including alternative risk control mechanisms)

Here are a few suggestions to help keep your information safe:

 

Protect Your Device

  -- Keep your device’s operating system, software, and apps up to date – be sure to go the company’s website to confirm the update is legitimate.

  -- Install and regularly update anti-virus software on your desktop, laptop, and tablet.

  -- Setup a password for your device and lock it when not in use.

  -- Do not install or run any program or app on your device, unless it is from a trusted source.

 

Protect Your Information

  -- Always log out when finished using Internet Banking.

  -- Never store personal or financial information, including passwords, on your device.

  -- Be cautious using public Wi-Fi, as even reputable hotspots can be compromised.

  -- Don’t click links in spam emails – even those forwarded to you by someone you know.

  -- Monitor your financial statements regularly for unexplained activity and promptly dispute any activity that looks suspicious.

  -- Periodically check your credit report to make sure all your personal information is accurate.

 

Help Protect Against Corporate Account Takeover

Click here for information.

 

Sign Your Cards Immediately

Sign the signature panel on your debit cards as soon as you receive them.

 

Check Your Statements

Save the receipts from your charges and keep them in a safe location. Check your statements to verify that they properly reflect the amounts you have authorized. Report any unauthorized transactions immediately. Once you have reconciled your statements, shred up all receipts and discard them at home.

 

Go Paperless With e-Statements

Access your statements through Interente Banking and ask us to stop sending paper. Checking your balances and viewing your account statements on-line is safer than having information sent through the mail.  See our e-Statements page for more information.

 

Keep A List Of All Your Account Numbers

Keep the list in a safe and secure place and include the telephone numbers to call if your cards are ever lost or stolen.

 

Use ATMs safely

Use ATMs with surveillance cameras and be aware of people and your surroundings. When you enter or exit an ATM in an enclosed area, be sure you close the entry door completely. Do not open locked ATM vestibule doors for others or allow any unknown persons to enter the ATM area while you are making your transaction. Shield the ATM keypad with your hand or body while entering your PIN. Secure your card and cash after completing your transaction and before exiting the ATM area. Count your cash later in the safety of your locked car or home. Your debit card is like cash, so keep it in a safe place.  See our Electronic Funds Transfer Disclosure for more ATM Safety Precautions.

 

Always Be Cautious

Never provide account information to anyone who calls you. First National Bank of Bosque County will never reach out to you in this way to request sensitive account information.

 

Perform A Risk Assessment

It is a best practice for business customers using Internet Banking to perform a risk assessment and controls evaluation at least annually.

 

CREDIT BUREAUS

Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report, as well as a victim's statement asking that creditors call you before opening new accounts or charging existing ones.

 

Equifax (800) 685-1111

Experian (888) 397-3742

Trans Union (800) 888-4213

 

As required by law, that credit bureau will report the information to the other two bureaus for you. You should also:

 -- contact creditors for any accounts that have been affected

 -- always follow up with a letter and keep copies of everything

 -- close affected accounts and assign passwords to new ones

 

You can request a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months by going to www.annualcreditreport.com

 

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Bank's Internet practices or customer privacy policies, please telephone us at 1-254-932-5345 or send an e-mail message to the Bank at customerservice@fnbbosque.com