Security

IMPORTANT: TREAT YOUR CARD LIKE CASH. Always have it in a SAFE place.

• REPORT A LOST OR STOLEN CARD AT ONCE. Immediately call your financial institution if your card is lost or stolen to reduce the chance of unauthorized transactions. Immediate notice of lost or stolen cards will also limit your potential liability for unauthorized transactions. Report lost, found, or stolen card immediately to 1-800-523-4175.

• Keep your PIN a secret. Memorize your PIN and never write it on your card or store it with your card. Never let anyone else enter your PIN for you, even if they are assisting you with the transaction. Always keep your PIN a secret.
  
• When selecting a PIN, avoid using information that can be tied to in-wallet information or information that may be in your purse.(e.g. birth date, social security number, phone number etc.)
• Do not lend your card to anyone. You are responsible for its use. Some credit card misuse can be traced directly to family and friends.
• DO NOT disclose information about your card over the telephone. No company or individual needs to know your PIN.
  
• NEVER disclose information about your card in response to an unsolicited e-mail or request. E-mail is a common channel for FRAUD.
  
• Do not volunteer any personal information when you use your credit card, other than by displaying a personal ID as requested by merchant (driver's license).
• Make sure your Internet shopping sites are secure. Look for secure transaction symbols when shopping on-line to ensure your account information is protected. Always log off any site after you make the purchase.
• REVIEW YOUR ACCOUNT STATEMENTS OR MONITOR YOUR ACCOUNT ON-LINE. Review all account statements and report any errors (including transactions your believe may be unauthorized.) as soon as possible. Prompt notification will limit your potential liability for unauthorized transactions.

Capturing card information, or "skimming" is popular at ATM's and gas stations. Never swipe your ATM/Debit card if the terminal or device looks like it has been tampered with as indicated by loose or extra parts attached to the face of the machine. If your card is ever captured by at ATM or other device, please call the bank to report the incident. You may think your card is jammed by the device, but many times it can be retrieved by a criminal who staged the capture and may use it immediately. In either case, you will require a replacement card to be issued.

• ALWAYS observe the ATM surroundings before conducting a transaction. If anyone or anything appears to be suspicious, leave the area at once. If you drive up to an ATM, park as close as possible to the terminal. Observe the entire area from the safety of your car before getting out.
  
• Always leave enough room between the vehicles to allow for a quick exit should it become necessary.
  
• If an ATM is obstructed from your view or poorly lit, go to another ATM. If possible, report the problem to the ATM operator or your own financial institution.
  
• It is a good idea to take another person with you when using an ATM, especially at night.
  
• Minimize the time spent at the ATM when conducting a transaction. Have your card out and ready to use. Do not allow a stranger to assist you in making a transaction, even if you have trouble or your card gets stuck. When your transaction is complete, put your card, money and receipt away and immediately leave the area. Never count your money while at the ATM.
• Block the view of others when using the ATM or a PIN debit terminal. Stand between the ATM and anyone waiting to use the terminal. Shield the keypad as necessary when entering your PIN and transaction amount.
• When you are using an outdoor terminal such as at a gas station, always observe your surroundings before making a transaction.
• If you see anyone or anything suspicious, cancel your transaction and leave the area at once. If anyone follows you, go immediately to a crowded, well-lit area and call the police.
• Look for possible fraudulent devices attached to the ATM. If the ATM appears to have any attachment or alterations to the card slot or keypad, do not use the ATM. If possible, report the problem to the ATM operator or your own financial institution.

Using your mobile device to manage your account is convenient and saves you time, but you do need to make sure it is secure. Below are a few tips to keep your banking safeguarded. 

• Treat your mobile device or tablet just like your debit card. If it is lost or stolen and you have not protected it properly, your information may be at risk. Always store your phone in a safe place. 
  
• Only download and install Crossroads Bank apps from Google Play Store and Apple App store. 
  
• Always lock your device. If your device has a locking feature, such as a tracing pattern or inserting a PIN, be sure to use it. It might slow you down each time BUT the extra security may be enough to keep someone form accessing your account before you can report it missing or stolen.
• Don't share your user id or password with anyone.
• DO NOT use public or unprotected WIFI to perform any banking transaction even checking a balance. Public connections such as hotels, restaurants are not very secure. Always use your phone or tablet's network.
• Always log out of mobile banking or your banking app when you are not using it.
• Delete any text messages with account information once you have read it.

If you have any questions about security features available on your phone, please contact your mobile carrier service. If you have a question concerning Crossroads Bank mobile banking or our banking apps call 1-800-947-8382. 

• Do not give out personal information, such as account numbers and social security numbers, over the telephone, through the mail, or over the internet unless you initiated the contact or know with whom you are doing business with.
• Lock your financial documents and records in a safe place at home and keep your wallet or purse in a safe place at work. Keep your information secure from roommates or workers who come into your home.
• Limit what you carry. When you go out, take only identification, credit and debit cards that you need. Leave your Social Security card at home unless needed.
• Shred documents that contain personal or financial information before discarding.
• Take outgoing mail to post office collection boxes or the post office. Promptly remove mail that arrives in your mailbox. 
• Consider opting out of prescreened offers of credit and insurance by mail. You can opt out for 5 years or permanently. To opt out, call 1-888-567-8688 or go to optoutprescreen.com. The 3 nationwide credit reporting companies operate the phone number and website. Prescreened offers can provide many benefits. If you opt out, you may miss out on some offers of credit.
• Review your credit report at least annually to look for unauthorized accounts that may have been opened in your name. Receive a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 or complete the Annual Credit Report Request form.

• Pay attention to the web address (URL) of websites. A website may look legitimate, but the URL may have a variation in spelling or use a different domain.
• If you are suspicious of a website, close it and contact the company directly.
• Protect your online passwords. Do not write them down or share them with anyone.
• When shopping online, use secure website when making purchases. Look for secure signs such as a closed lock icon and "https://" in the address line.
• Always log off from any website after a purchase is made with your debit or credit card. If you cannot log off, shut down the browser to prevent risk of unauthorized use of your account.
• Keep passwords private. Use strong passwords with our laptop, credit, bank and other accounts. Be creative, think of a special phrase and use the letter of each word as your password. Substitute numbers for some words or letters. 
• Don't overshare on social networking sites. If you post too much about yourself, an identity thief can find information about your life, use it to answer "challenge" questions on our accounts, and get access to your money and personal information. Consider limiting access to a small group of people. Never post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number or account number in publicly accessible sites.

• Do not send any personal or confidential information such as account numbers, social security number, driver's license etc. via email. Email IS NOT a secure means of communication.
• Delete email and text messages that ask you to confirm or provide sensitive information. REMEMBER legitimate companies don't ask for sensitive information through email or text messages.
• Beware of visiting website addresses sent to you in unsolicited message.
• Do not open files, click on links, open any attachments received from unknown senders or unexpected attachments from known senders. Opening a file from someone you don't know could expose your system to a computer virus or spyware that captures your passwords or other information you type.

As soon as you suspect that you have been a victim of identity theft, taking these steps immediately will help you clear your name and your credit. 

1. Notify the creditors or bank of the affected account. If a bank account or existing credit line has been affected, shutting it down should be the first order of business. Working with the company or bank as soon as possible can save you money and possibly clear up the problem sooner. 
2. Put a fraud alert on your credit report. Contact a credit reporting bureau and request your profile be flagged with a fraud alert. This will help to ensure that providers will not grant new credit without your approval. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), you can contact one of the three credit reporting bureaus below to place an alert on your profile. Transunion 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P O Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834. Equifax 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P O Box 740241, Atlanta GA 30374-0241. Experian 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P O Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013.
3. Check your credit reports. After installing a fraud alert in your credit file, you'll automatically receive a free credit report from each of the three agencies and you will be opted out of preapproved credit card and insurance offers. After you receive your reports, make note of the unique number assigned to your account. This will be valuable in all your communications with the agencies. Check your reports for signs of fraud-new accounts you did not open, inquiries you do not recognize, payment history you cannot account for etc. Pull a credit report each year over the course of the next year to check for fraudulent activity.
4. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-438-4338. File a complaint and complete an ID Theft Affidavit at the FTC website and print out for your records. Together with a police report, it serves as your ID theft report, which will help you dispute fraudulent accounts.
5. Go to the police. Alert the police in your city. You may also need to report the crime to the police departments where the crime occurred. 
6. Send creditors a copy of our ID theft report. Notify creditors in writing that you have been a victim of fraud and include a copy of your ID theft report. Informing creditors of the fraud should get them to stop reporting the information to the credit reporting agencies.
7. Contact credit reporting agencies. By sending a copy of our ID theft report to the consumer reporting agencies, fraudulent accounts should be blocked from appearing on your credit report.
8. Change all account passwords.
9. Contact the Social Security fraud hot line. Notify the Office of Inspector General  if your Social Security number has been fraudulently used. Ask for a copy of your Personal Earnings and Benefits Statement and check for accuracy.
10. Get a new drivers license. You may need to change your driver's license if someone is using yours as an ID. Go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a new number.

For more helpful information, CLICK HERE for the Texas Attorney General website on identity theft.

1. Training and educating your employees is essential in security principles. Establish basic security practices to protect sensitive business information and communicate them to all employees on a regular basis. Establish rules on how to handle and protect customer information and other important data.
2. Protect information, computers and networks from viruses, spyware and other malicious code. Install, use and regularly update antivirus and anti-spyware software on every computer used in your business. Software is readily available online from a variety of vendors. Set the antivirus software to automatically check for updates at a scheduled time of low computer usage, such as at night and then set the software to do a scan after the software update.
3. Provide firewall security for your internet connection. A firewall is set of related programs that prevent outsiders from accessing data on a private network. Install and maintain firewalls between your internal network and the Internet. If employees work from home, ensure that their home systems are protected by firewalls. Install firewalls on all computers-including laptops-used in conducting your business.
4. Download and install software updates for your operating systems and applications as they become available.
5. Make backup copies of important business data and information. Regularly backup the data on your computers. Critical data includes word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, financial files, human resources files, accounts receivable/payable files.
6. Control physical access to your computers and network components. Prevent access or use of business computers by unauthorized individuals. Laptops can be particularly easy targets for theft, so make sure they are stored and locked up when unattended.
7. Secure your WI-FI networks. If you have a WIFI network for your workplace make sure it is secure and hidden. To hide your WIFI network, set up your wireless access point or router so it does not broadcast the network name also known as the Service Set Identifier (SSID). In addition, make sure to turn on the encryption so that passwords are required to access. Lastly, it is critical to change the administrative password that was on the device when purchased.
8. Require individual user accounts for each employee. Set up a separate account for each individual and require that strong passwords be used for each account. Administrative privileges should only be given to trusted IT staff and key personnel.
9. Limit employee access to data and information, and limit authority to install software. Do not provide any one employee with access to all data systems. Employees should only be given access to the specific data systems they need for their jobs and should not be able to install software without permission.
10. Regularly change passwords. Passwords that stay the same, will, over time be shared and become common knowledge to coworkers and can be easily hacked. Passwords should be changed at least every three months.

The FCC's Cybersecurity Hub at www.fcc.gov/cyberforsmallbiz has more information, including links to free and low cost security tools.

OnGuardOnline.gov

This website was created by the federal government to help people be safe, secure, and responsible online. This website is part of the National Initiative for Cyber-security Education. 

National Cyber Security Alliance 

NCSA's mission is to educate and therefore empower a digital society to use the Internet safely and securely at home, work, and school. This website provides information and educational programs for protecting the technology individuals use, the networks they connect to, and their digital assets. 

US-CERT - Cyber Security Tips 

This website is published by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) and describes and offers advice about common security issues for non-technical computer users. 

BBB Data Security - Made Simpler 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) created this website specifically to educate small businesses on the most common data security issues they face. Data security guidelines and suggestions are presented to help improve the security posture of small businesses. 

Information on FDIC coverage and other bank-related topics:

www.fdic.gov

Find out how FDIC insurance works and estimate coverage on your deposits with the EDIE calculator:

www.fdic.gov/edie

Sign up for direct deposit of your social security benefits:

www.godirect.org