Customer Awareness
Lost or Stolen Card
Immediately call (580) 774-1300, after hours call (844) 202-5333
Fraud & Identity Theft
At Bank of Hydro our number one priority is you, our customer. Everyone is at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft, financial scams, counterfeit currency, and old fashion thievery through stolen checks, forgeries, and many more illegal activities. Criminals obtain your information for fraudulent use from everyday transactions such as writing checks, renting a car, using a credit or debit card for payment.
Ways thieves may obtain your personal information:
- Steal your wallet or purse.
- Steal your mail.
- Complete a change of address form to divert your mail to another location.
- Rummage through your trash or public trash cans.
- Collect your information through e-mail or phone by pretending to be from a legitimate company.
Here are a few simple rules to follow to help you protect yourself.
Review and balance your bank statement as soon as you receive it. Look for unexplained charges or withdrawals. Promptly notify us of any discrepancies. You can also check your account activity between statements using Internet Banking. The few minutes you spend reviewing your statement could save you thousands.
Think of an ATM/Debit Card as the key to your bank account. Do not give it to other persons to use. Never write the PIN on the back of the card.
Shred any documents containing identifying information before throwing them away, this includes pre-approved credit offers, charge receipts, checks and bank statements, even on closed accounts.
NEVER give out your financial information when it is requested over the phone, by mail, or through an email.
Bank of Hydro will never email you or call you to ask for your PIN, passwords or other confidential account information.
Do not follow links in unfamiliar email. These links can take you to fake Web sites.
When you write a check, fill out the payee line and the amount line completely. If you leave space, you create an opportunity for someone who gets possession of your check to add an alternative payee or to increase the amount. Guard against such alterations by eliminating the space necessary to make them.
NEVER sign a check until you are ready to deliver or mail it and NEVER endorse a check until you are ready to cash or deposit it.
Financial Scams. Beware of financial scams such as "Work from Home" scams (usually found on the internet.) and "Sweepstakes" scams received through the mail. Please remember; if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Update your virus protection software on your PC regularly. DO NOT open files from strangers or companies you do not know.
Use a wipe utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive before disposing of a computer.
Online Banking Security Tips
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) recently issued new supervisory guidance designed to help make online transactions more secure. The new guidance is in response to an ever more dangerous online threat environment. Scams and hacking techniques are more sophisticated, new threats are continually being developed and organized crime groups both in the United States and internationally have become a major force in expanding online fraud and theft.
The new guidance means you may begin to see new security features on the websites you visit. Each of our online products has built-in security features which are continually enhanced in response to changing threats. Some of these enhancements are visible to you, the user, but others occur behind the scenes.
The new guidance also means you will see more information on how you, as a user of online services, can take action to keep your identity and your financial information and funds secure.
BANK OF HYDRO AND YOUR LOG-IN CREDENTIALS
We will never call, email or otherwise contact you to request your access ID, password, or other log-in credentials for the online services we offer. If you receive such a request, do not provide any information. Contact us at 405-663-2214 or 580-774-1300 to report the incident.
REPORTING SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
If you see suspicious activity on your account(s) or have received a suspicious call, email, letter or other similar contact regarding your relationship to Bank of Hydro, call us at 405-663-2214 or 580-774-1300 to report the incident.
PROTECT YOURSELF BY CONTROLLING ONLINE RISKS
Password Security Tips
- Do not share your User ID's or Passwords with another person or provide them to others. Safeguard your User ID and Password information—never leave the information in an unsecured location.
- Create a unique User ID and Password for each site. Do not use the same identifying information on multiple websites.
- Create strong User ID's and Passwords. In other words, use upper case letter(s), lower case letter(s), number(s), and special character(s) (!@#$%^&*)
- Many websites force password changes (i.e. every 60 days). If a website does not do so, take the initiative and change your password on a regular basis.
Website Security Tips
- Monitor account activity. View account activity online on a regular basis and review periodic account statements (monthly and/or quarterly) and reconcile them to your personal records.
- Log Off from a website; do not just close the page or "X" out.
- Secure websites have a web address that includes an "s" (https rather than http). If this is lacking, the site is not genuine. Do not log in or conduct business on the site.
- If a website displays a security monitor, verify it has the current date. If it does not, do not use the site; it may be a spoofed or hijacked.
- When completing financial transactions, verify encryption and other security methods are in place, protecting your account and personal information.
Computer / Network Security Tips
- Use quality security monitoring software on your PC that includes anti-virus, anti-malware and firewall functions.
- Use your PC's security features such as individual Log-In accounts.
- Keep PC operating system security up-to-date by applying patches and updates.
- Password-protect your computer network (physical or wireless).
