Resources/Guides

Stay Alert to Fraud

First National Bank is dedicated to the safety of our customers' information. Yet, every year criminals find new ways to trick consumers through scams, fraud, and ploys for information or cash. Always remember that FNB will never call or text a customer to ask for their account number, personal identification number (PIN), social security number, name, address, or password via phone, email, or text message. If you receive a suspicious communication, do not respond. Instead, contact FNB via a known, published number to report the communication and ensure your account remains secure.

Cyber Crime

Avoiding cyber crime requires a multi-layered approach. Below are tips from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Internet-enabled crimes and cyber intrusions are becoming increasingly sophisticated and preventing them requires each user of a connected device to be aware and on guard. 

• Keep systems and software up to date and install a strong, reputable anti-virus program.
• Be careful when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, when on a public network.
• Create a strong and unique passphrase for each online account and change those passphrases regularly.
• Set up multi-factor authentication on all accounts that allow it.
• Examine the email address in all correspondence and scrutinize website URLs before responding to a message or visiting a site
• Don’t click on anything in unsolicited emails or text messages.
• Be cautious about the information you share in online profiles and social media accounts. Sharing things like pet names, schools, and family members can give scammers the hints they need to guess your passwords or the answers to your account security questions.
• Don't send payments to unknown people or organizations that are seeking monetary support and urge immediate action.

The FBI monitors scams and frauds and publishes details about the most common ones on its site. Click here to learn more.

Identity Theft

Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States, and has ranked as one of the top consumer concerns for the past several years. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has resources to help consumers protect themselves from identity fraud. The site provides steps consumers should take to secure their information and protect themselves from identity theft, as well as actions consumers should take if they become a victim of identity theft. 

For more information click here.

A: Your PC could be infected from a number of sources. Viruses can be transferred from PC to PC through the use of a shared USB Flash Drive. There are many instances where a nationally recognized company’s website has been compromised and visitors to their site have been infected with malware. The best way to protect yourself is to protect your PC.

A: There are reputable programs available for free on the internet that may meet your needs. Be sure to do your homework prior to installing any software. Verify the software’s reputation using software review websites such as Cnet.com, prior to installing the software. Some examples of free anti-virus protection and malware removal are:

Note: We cannot endorse or recommend any of the above programs. They are listed here only to show examples of what is available.

Q: How do I know if my PC is infected?

A: Infected PCs may exhibit suspicious behavior, such as running more slowly than normal, locking up often, crashing and restarting frequently, or displaying unusual error messages. Or they may exhibit no symptoms at all. Also, the suspicious behavior often shown by infected PCs may be caused by a number of other factors. So while a poorly performing computer should make you suspect that it may be infected, you won’t know for sure unless you frequently scan your PC with an antivirus tool.

A: Marketing hype aside, all reputable antivirus software does pretty much the same job. Some may be better than others in regards to a particular feature, but any one of them is better than no antivirus software at all. However, there are a number of disreputable antivirus programs that actually do more harm than good. Be wary of any antivirus software that advertises itself via unsolicited email (spam) or pop-up windows.

A: While there is no silver bullet that will protect you from every risk, if you take the following precautions, you can significantly reduce your exposure:

Tips for enabling cookies via IE

• In Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu, then click on Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab.
• Click the Advanced button.
• Under Cookies, check off Override automatic cookie handling, then under First-party Cookies select Accept, and under Third-party Cookies select Accept, click OK, and then click OK.