The Marfa National Bank, Big Bend Banks, and 1st Presidio Bank are committed to making Online Banking secure and protected, but we can’t do it alone. The best defense against fraud is YOU. Here are a few steps you can take to protect your identity:
Protect Your Computer
- Install software that protects against malware, or malicious software, which can access a computer system without your consent to steal passwords or account numbers.
- Also, use a firewall program to prevent unauthorized access to your PC.
- While protection options vary, make sure the settings allow for automatic updates.
Use The Strongest Method Available To Log Into Financial Accounts
- Use the strongest authentication offered, especially for high risk transactions.
- Use passwords that are difficult to guess and keep them secret.
- Create “strong” user IDs and passwords for your computers, mobile devices, and online accounts by using combinations of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols that are hard to guess and then change them regularly.
- Use a different password and PIN for each of your accounts.
Understand Internet Safety Features
- You can have greater confidence that a website is authentic and that it encrypts (scrambles) your information during transmission if the web address starts with “https://”.
- Ensure that you are logged out of financial accounts when you complete your transactions or walk away from your computer.
- To learn about additional safety steps, review your web browser’s instructions.
Be Suspicious Of Unsolicited E-Mails
- Beware of e-mails asking you to click on a link, download an attachment, or provide account information.
- It’s easy for cyber criminals to copy the logo of a reputable company or organization and turn it into a phishing e-mail. When responding to a simple request, you may be installing malware.
- Your safest strategy is to ignore unsolicited requests, no matter how legitimate or enticing they appear.
Be Careful Where And How You Connect To The Internet
- Only access the Internet for banking or other activities that involve personal information using your own laptop or mobile device through a known, trusted, and secure location.
- A public computer, such as at a hotel business center or public library, and free Wi-Fi networks are not necessarily secure. It can be relatively easy for cyber criminals to intercept the Internet traffic in these locations.
Be Careful When Using Social Networking Sites
- Cyber criminals use social networking sites to gather details about individuals, such as their place or date of birth, a pet’s name, their mother’s maiden name, and other information that can help them figure out passwords – or how to reset them.
- Don’t share your page or access to your information with anyone you don’t know and trust.
- Cyber criminals may pretend to be your “friend” to convince you to send money or divulge personal information.
Take Precautions With Your Tablet Or Smartphone
- Consider opting for automatic updates for your device’s operation system and apps when they become available to help reduce your vulnerability to software problems.
- Never leave your mobile device unattended and use a password or other security feature to restrict access in case your device is lost or stolen.
- Make sure you enable the “time-out” or “auto-lock” feature that secures your mobile device when it is left unused for a certain period of time.
- Research any app before downloading it.
Educate Yourself
To learn more about cybersecurity, visit the “Stop. Think. Connect. Resource Guide” at Stop | Think | Connect.
Contact us immediately at (432) 729-4344 if you notice any suspicious or unusual activity related to any of your The Marfa National Bank, Big Bend Banks, and 1st Presidio Bank accounts.
