Safety & Security
You have probably heard about Equifax’s recent announcement of a data breach that exposed Social Security Numbers and information for millions of people. We want you to know that River City Bank does NOT report your information to Equifax. However, given the enormity of this situation, we want to share with you some best practices to monitor and protect your private information.
Security and Fraud Prevention
At River City Bank, maintaining the safety and security of your finances is a top priority. The safeguarding of your personal information is not just important, it’s vital to our business.
We offer electronic banking services by employing the latest and most powerful industry standards and technology to protect your personal information. While the online and mobile banking channel is rapidly expanding, fraudsters are increasingly targeting customers that conduct transactions electronically. Our advanced security features within online and mobile banking will give you the peace of mind that your data and transactions are safeguarded.
In addition to following industry standard security protocols, below are other safeguards we have in place to protect you against online security breaches:
- Multi-factor Authentication – If you are using a computer or a mobile device that has not been recognized by our system before, you will be required to go through an extra validation step when signing on.
- Session Timeout – Our online and mobile system is designed to log you out automatically after several minutes of inactivity.
- Text Fraud Alert System – Our fraud system will notify you about any suspicious debit card activity.
While we do everything possible to protect your online information on our systems, there are also practical things you can do to reduce the risks associated with online and mobile banking fraud. We provided some security tips, best practices and trusted resources below.
Protect Yourself from Online Fraud
- Install a personal firewall, anti-virus protection and anti-spy ware to keep intruders out and keep it updated
- Keep your operating system updated with the latest security patches.
- Use a good spam filter.
- Check site certificates.
- Be smart with your passwords. Password resources available from this link.
- Sign up for Alerts
Data Security
Many companies keep sensitive personal information about customers or employees in their files or on their network. Having a sound security plan in place to collect only what you need, keep it safe, and dispose of it securely can help protect that sensitive data. To find out more information about keeping data secure, visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website.
Identity Theft
Don’t share your identity…protect it. The fastest growing crime today is identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone steals key pieces of your personal identification such as Social Security number, bank account numbers, birth date etc. and uses it for illegal purposes. For more information about identity theft and how to protect your identity, please visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Scams and Risks
Phishing – Email Scams
Phishing is a scam that uses email to deceive you into disclosing personal information. Criminals send thousands of e-mails hoping to trick some into falling for their scam. The email may appear to come from River City Bank, but it does not. It may sound urgent and warn you to update or verify your bank information by clicking on the link contained in the email. These e-mails are fake and do not come from River City Bank. No bank, including River City Bank, will ever ask you to provide confidential banking information through an email or link.
Phishing Example and What You Should Do:
- The criminal sends an email purportedly from a member of your business or one of your suppliers and requests you to wire funds. Before you react, pick up the phone and obtain verbal verification from your contact using the phone number you have on file, not one that may have been provided by a fraudster.
- If you get an email that warns you that an account of yours will be shut down unless you reconfirm personal information, or that the bank is “missing” information about your account, do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail. To confirm if a River City Bank email solicitation is legitimate, please call our Customer Service Center at 916-567-2899.
Smishing – Texting Scams
Smishing is very much like phishing where a scam is sent via text messages on mobile devices instead of emails. These scams try to trick users with messages that appear to be legitimate alerts from River City Bank. Again, keep in mind that River City Bank will never ask for your personal information by email or text.
Smishing Example and What You Should Do:
- A popular tactic of scammers is to send notifications about ‘suspicious’ activity in user’s accounts and requesting the user to take action immediately by providing personal information. Our text fraud alert system will notify you about suspicious activity on your debit card, but we will not ask for account or personal information. Below is an example of River City Bank’s fraud alert text message from short number “32874” :
FreeMsg: River City Bank Fraud Dept 8003694887: Suspicious txn on card 1111: $201.99 WALMART.
If authorized reply YES, otherwise reply NO. To Opt Out reply STOP.
Click here for more information on our text fraud alert system.
- If you receive a message from River City Bank requesting personal information such as Social Security number, bank and credit card numbers, usernames and passwords, please alert River City Bank immediately at (800) 564-7144.
View recent news on scams from the Federal Trade Commission.
Risks of Jailbreaking and Rooting Mobile Devices
Attackers love jailbroken and rooted phones. Jailbroken/rooted phones put your data at risk along with your personal information. Many mobile users are attracted to jailbreaking or rooting their device in order to gain more control over the device, upgrade their operating systems or install apps normally unavailable through standard channels. While having these options may allow the user to utilize the device more effectively, many users do not understand that jailbreaking/rooting can potentially allow malware to bypass many of the device’s built-in security features. If a vulnerable app is installed on a jailbroken/rooted phone, attackers can easily exploit them and potentially gain all the information on the phone. It’s your decision on whether the potential risks are worth the perceived benefits of jailbreaking/rooting, but it is not recommended.
Traveling Safe
The travel season is amongst us and whether you’re touring Europe or taking a road trip, we want to help you stay on top of your finances. Our secure banking services and stringent fraud protection are designed to give you peace of mind. Read River City Bank’s travel tips and tools. For lost or stolen ATM/VISA Debit Cards, please call (916) 567-2899 or (800) 564-7144.
More Ways to Protect Yourself from Fraud
- Keep your Social Security number as private as possible.
- Know when your bills arrive each month and watch for unfamiliar transactions: be wary if they don’t arrive.
- Don’t leave behind receipts that have credit or debit card numbers at ATMs, stores or gas pumps.
- Avoid placing credit card or personal information on a website unless you know that it is secure.
- Check your credit reports regularly at the three national credit bureaus:
Equifax (www.equifax.com) | Place a fraud alert: 1-888-766-0008 Order a credit report: 1-800-685-1111
Experian (www.experian.com) | Place a fraud alert: 1-888-397-3742 Order a credit report: 1-888-397-3742
Transunion (www.transunion.com) | Place a fraud alert: 1-800-680-7289 Order a credit report: 1-800-888-4213
