Scammers steal billions of dollars each year from people like you. At First State Bank, we prioritize keeping our customers safe. Please review the following awareness guidelines to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

Types of Scams
Spoof Calls

A scammer could show up as anything on your caller ID. If a caller asks you to provide any information, this could be an attempt to access personal information and you should hang up immediately.

Phishing

Pretending to be a financial institution, company, or government agency and sending emails or text messages asking you to reveal your personal information via an email, text message, phone call, or website pop-up message.

Hacking

Hacking into your email or other online accounts to access your personal information or a company’s database to access its records.

Protect Yourself

While First State Bank takes measures to protect our customers from scams and fraud, we recommend safeguarding yourself against fraud by taking time to look further into expenses to ensure they are legitimate. Here are some actions you can take to protect yourself:

Keep Your Personal Information Up To Date

It’s important that you keep us up to date on any changes to phone numbers or email addresses. To update personal information, call or visit a First State Bank branch.

Notify Us When You’re Traveling

Notify First State Bank when you’re traveling out of the area to ensure charges to your card can be processed.

Review Your Accounts Regularly For Out of Ordinary Transactions

Keep an eye on your accounts using monthly statements or digital banking. If you notice anything that looks different, alert First State Bank right away.

Call First State Bank if you’re ever asked to provide personal information. We encourage those who haven’t tried our online banking platform to give it a shot. E-mails and internet pages created by phishers may look real. First State Bank will never ask you to verify your account information online.

Spotting Scammers
Threatening Wording

Phishing attempts often include threatening verbiage, such as “Your payment is overdue” or “Your account has been compromised”. They do this in hopes of triggering a response from you.

Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

Many phishing attempts include spelling and grammar errors and may feature awkward words and/or phrases.

Sounds Too Good To Be True

Keep in mind that if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely untrue!

If You Become A Victim, Take Action

If you suspect that someone has gained access to important personal information such as your bank account or Social Security number and may use that information for illegal purposes or to withdraw money from your account, or if you believe you have fallen victim to an attack, act immediately by contacting First State Bank.

Lost/Stolen Cards
  • With First State Bank’s Card Management feature, digital banking and mobile app users have the capability of easily turning their debit card “on” or “off” with the flip of a switch.
  • If you have misplaced your card or fear it may have been stolen, you can instantly login to your account and turn it “off” to help prevent loss of funds. If your card has simply been misplaced and you find it, you can easily turn it back “on”.
  • If you lose your card, we can conveniently print an instant debit card for you. Fees may apply. Calling us is the best way of preventing or minimizing potential losses. Additional paperwork will be required in the event a fraudulent debit card transaction is posted to your account.
Smart Online Shopping
  • When making a purchase online, always look for a URL that begins with https://. This means the site is legitimate and secure.
  • Verify the URL of the website you are attempting to make a purchase on to ensure it is not a copycat website waiting to collect your financial information.
  • If using your debit card, only make online purchases with businesses you trust. If you have to make a purchase with a new business, use a credit card instead.
Tips for Passwords
  • Strong passwords should be hard to guess but easy to remember.
  • Never share your password or PIN with anyone.
  • Do not use common words, names, or special dates. Using pets’ or people’s names, birthdays, anniversary dates, or zip codes is not a good idea. Attackers can easily obtain this information through social media accounts.
  • Never write your password or PIN down where it can be easily found by others.
  • Use passwords that contain more than just letters. Try adding numbers and characters into the mix.
  • Use different passwords for different accounts and devices so that if attackers use one password, they will not have access to all your accounts.
  • Change your password and PIN often.