Safety Tips for Using Your Check Card or Credit Card

Fraud is an ever-growing problem. It is in your best interest to take precautions to protect yourself while doing transactions at home and at your place of business. As part of our ongoing efforts to serve all of your financial needs, here are several suggestions to help increase your personal safety and reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft.

General Information

• Do a regular review. You can catch unauthorized transactions early by checking your account details regularly — at least once a week. Whenever possible, cancel paper bills and statements and switch to checking statements and paying bills online.
• Get your credit report. It's your credit, so make sure no one else is using it. Check to ensure there aren't activities listed that you didn't initiate.

Card and PIN Safety

• Report lost or stolen cards immediately.
• Sign your card on the signature panel as soon as you receive it.
• Protect your cards as if they were cash.
• Make a comprehensive list of all your cards and their numbers and store it in a safe place.
• Don’t leave your credit cards in the glove compartment of your car. An alarmingly high proportion of all credit card thefts occur in glove compartments.
• When selecting a PIN avoid using information that can be tied to in-wallet information (e.g., birth date, social security number, telephone number, etc.).
• Never write down your PIN—memorize it. Also, never use your PIN as a password.
• We or any agent of ours will never request you to divulge your PIN in an oral or written manner.
• Whenever possible, keep an eye on your card when doing a transaction. Ensure that you get your card back after every purchase. If any activity during the transaction concerns you, call your financial institution.
• Always check sales vouchers for the correct purchase amount before you sign them, and keep copies of your vouchers and ATM receipts. Always check your billing statement and verify the amounts of your purchases.
• Don’t volunteer any personal information when you use your credit card, other than by displaying personal ID as requested by a merchant.
• Don’t lend your card to anyone. You are responsible for its use. Some credit card misuse can be traced directly to family and friends.

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Safety

• Plan ahead to minimize your time at an automated teller machine. Prepare as much of your transaction in advance as you can at your home or office by filling out your deposit slip and indorsing the checks "for deposit only" to your account.
• When you approach an automated teller machine location, look around and be alert to your surroundings, especially in areas unfamiliar to you. If you observe any suspicious person or unusual activity near the location at any time, do not use it and go somewhere else. At night, if the automated teller machine location is not well lighted, do not use it and go somewhere else.
• Consider going to an automated teller machine location with someone you know and trust. Do not accept assistance from anyone you do not know and trust when using an automated teller machine.
• Prevent others from seeing you enter your PIN when using an automated teller machine. Consider using your body to shield the view of the keypad.
• If you notice anything suspicious or any other problem arises after you begin your transaction, cancel the transaction; recover the card you are using from the automated teller machine and leave.
• When your transaction is complete, recover your card, your receipt and any cash you have requested from the automated teller machine and promptly leave the area. Do not display money taken from the automated teller machine. Put the money away and wait until you are in a safe place to verify it. Mark each transaction in your account record but do so away from the machine in a safe place. Save your receipt and do not leave a receipt at the automated teller machine location because it contains important account information. Compare your records with the account statement you receive.
• When using any drive-up facility, lock your car doors and roll up all the windows except the window you are using. If you keep your engine running, be sure your car is in "park" or "neutral" and the brake is set.
• Do not let anyone else use your card. Do not disclose your PIN to anyone else, even if the person is offering assistance. Do not write your PIN on your card. If you lose your card or it is stolen or your PIN is lost or stolen, report the loss to us at once.

Online Safety

• Never send account information, such as your account number or PIN, in the body of an email. You never know who could be intercepting it.
• Beware of phishing emails. These are emails that appear to be from your bank or an online merchant asking you to provide or validate your account information. CNB and reputable merchants will never ask for any account or personal information in an email.
• Never click on Internet links within emails. Instead, type the known URL.
• Before making purchases online, be sure that the site has built-in security features to protect your account information. All reputable merchant sites use encryption technologies that will protect your private data from being read by others as you conduct an online transaction.
• If possible, avoid using a public computer to shop online or access your account(s), always remember to log off and quit the browser when you are finished. All it takes for someone to view your personal information is simply hitting the back button.
• To protect your information use only a computer that has a firewall in place. Install anti-spyware and anti-virus software and implement updates as soon as they’re available.

Mail and Phone Safety

• Never give your account information to anyone claiming to be from your bank unless you initiated the call.
• Record the name, address, and phone number of the soliciting organization, and obtain names of other customers who can supply references.
• Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics, especially if the sale must be completed immediately.
• Ask questions. The fewer questions a telemarketer can answer, the less likely that he or she is calling from a legitimate business.
• Notify your bank and the Post Office immediately if you change your address.
• Make sure your mailbox is secure, and promptly remove delivered mail.
• Call the Post Office immediately if you are not receiving your mail.
• If you are told of a forwarding order placed on your mail without your knowledge, go to the Post Office to check the signature and cancel the order.