Prevention

How We Protect You

Online Banking Multi-Factor Authentication

We have implemented multi-factor authentication to help prevent common phishing and pharming techniques. You will choose from a set of personal questions which may be used to further identify you when logging into your account.

Online Banking Personal Identification Image (Watermark)

We have also implemented a Personal Identification Image feature. This is a helpful tool for you to be sure that you are on the official Citizens Bank of Edmond website, and detect when you are on a spoof site. You may choose a Personal Identification Image picture to personalize your login. This image will appear every time you enter your password on the website. If you do not see your Personal Identification Image, you should not enter your password.

Online Banking Account Verification

In order to protect your account, we may ask you to verify yourself by providing a form of identification or providing us information about yourself that we have obtained from you previously. We may also contact you if we notice any unusual activity on your account.

How You Can Protect Yourself

While there are no information security guarantees, there are precautions you can take to help safeguard your personal information. Precautions include being aware of the methods that criminals use to trick you, and to take steps to protect yourself.

Prevent Phishing

Just because a website looks like it might be from a legitimate bank or business doesn't mean that it is. Look at the address bar - Does it begin with the address of your bank's website? Is it asking you to enter information that you normally enter, or is it asking for more personal data, such as Social Security Number? Are there misspelled words or badly-worded sentences?
Install virus protection, anti-spyware software and a firewall to help prevent criminal access to your computer.
Know your bank's security measures. Citizens Bank of Edmond employs various techniques to help secure your online banking. We will be more than happy to verify whether or not a webpage claiming to be from Citizens is legitimate. If in doubt, ask!
Don't trust someone on the phone simply because they say they are from "your bank." Call them back using the phone number in the phone book. Be cautious when giving information that your bank should already have.
Citizens Bank of Edmond WILL NEVER request your credentials such as your online banking password or ATM/Debit Card PIN in order to assist you! If you get a call asking for your credentials, hang up and call us!

Prevent Identity Theft

Never keep a copy of PIN numbers, passwords, or Social Security card in your wallet or purse!
Identity thieves use birth dates as cornerstones of their craft. Do not use birthdays, pet names, maiden names, sports teams, religious words, or any word that might be found in a dictionary. Do not use passwords that might be guessed by a friend.
Use multiple usernames and passwords. Keep your usernames and passwords for social networks, online banking, email, and online shopping separate. Having distinct passwords is not enough. If you have the same username across different Web sites, your entire romantic, personal, professional, and e-commerce life can be mapped and re-created with some simple algorithms.
Shred unneeded documents that contain personal information. Destroy receipts, credit applications, cancelled checks, and credit offers.
Keep records in a secure location.
Do not submit confidential information through email! Email is inherently insecure.
Carefully review your Credit Report annually. Inspect bills and account statements to ensure that there are no unauthorized purchases.
Know when your billing cycles occur, and watch for missing mail.
Do not give out confidential information in response to an unsolicited email or phone call.
Do not click on links inside an email. They are often disguised to look like a link to a legitimate website, but actually redirect you to a spoofed site. Always type the URL in the browser address bar.
Do not download Facebook apps from outside the United States. Apps on social networks can access huge amounts of personal information. Some unscrupulous or careless entities collect lots of data and then lose, abuse, or sell it. If the app maker is in the United States, it is probably safer, and at least you have recourse if something should ever go wrong.
Block cookies on your Web browser. When you surf, hundreds of data points are being collected by the sites you visit. This data gets mashed together to form an integral part of your “digital profile,” which is then sold without your consent to companies around the world. By blocking cookies, you’ll prevent some of the data collection about you. Yes, you’ll have to enter passwords more often, but it is a smarter way to surf.
If in doubt, verify. A few extra minutes of checking up may save you many headaches down the road! Do not be afraid to call your bank and ask them if they sent the email or letter.

Prevent Check Scams

Always consult with a bank employee before depositing an item you received in the mail if you are unfamiliar with the business/individual or if you sold something on-line.
Do not pay for a 'free prize'. If someone tells you the payment is for taxes, he or she is violating the law.
Wait to send an item that you sold on the Internet until you are sure that the funds have been collected.
In order to win a lottery, you must be present in the state to purchase tickets. You cannot win a lottery from a state or country that you have never been to.
Do not get confirmation from the phone number on the letter or the check. Usually, that phone number will direct you to the criminal themselves. Either look up the phone number of the company or the bank the check is drawn off of for confirmation. A bank employee may assist you with this as well.
Research any business or charity that you are considering doing business with.
Check scams do not pinpoint a certain individual. The same scam is sent to multiple individuals over the country!
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Prevent Debit/Credit Card Fraud

Keep your PINs secure. Do not keep them written down in your wallet or purse and do not share them with anyone.
Keep all of your cards secure. Only carry one or two cards that you need and leave the others in a secure place at home.
Write your card numbers and expiration dates down and keep them in a secure place in case your wallet/purse does get stolen and you need to cancel the cards.
Review your bank statement and credit card statements to check for any transactions that you did not authorize.
When making purchases on the Internet, make sure that the site is secure before entering your card information. Read the Security/Privacy Policy and verify the website address has an "S" after HTTP.

Back to Security Center