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Your Authorized Access to Online Banking

When you use Bristol County Savings Bank’s online banking platform, you can be confident that we have technology in place to help prevent unauthorized access by others. This technology will recognize if your computer has been used before to access the system. We also utilize a secure behind the scene process to validate your device (PC, laptop, tablet, mobile phone), username and password. With this enhanced technology, we have built in additional layers of security in the event you login from a device that has not been used in the past. You will be asked to validate your identity through a one-time security code via a phone call or SMS message. If a phone is not available, you will be asked to answer a series of questions to validate your identity. These enhanced security features help safeguard your information.

If you have additional questions, concerns or difficulties when you login to online banking, please feel free to contact our Customer Service Center at 508-828-5420, Monday-Friday, 8-5pm or click here to send us a secure message.

 

User ID and Password Guidelines

  • Create a “strong” password with at least 8 characters that includes a combination of mixed case letters, numbers, and special characters.
  • Change your password frequently.
  • Never share username and password information with third-party providers.
  • Avoid using an automatic login feature that saves usernames and passwords.

 

General Guidelines

  • Do not use public or other unsecured computers for logging into online banking.
  • Users should check the last login date/time every time they log in.
  • Review account balances and detail transactions regularly (preferably daily) to confirm payment and other transaction data and immediately report any suspicious transactions to your financial institution.
  • View transfer history available through viewing account activity information.
  • Whenever possible, use Bill Pay instead of checks to limit account number dissemination exposure and to obtain better electronic record keeping.
  • Take advantage of and regularly view system alerts; examples include
  • Balance alerts
  • Transfer alerts
  • Password change alerts
  • Do not use account numbers, your social security number, or other account or personal information when creating account nicknames or other titles.
  • Whenever possible, register your computer to avoid having to re-enter challenge questions and other authentication information with each login.
  • Review historical reporting features of your online banking application on a regular basis to confirm payment and other transaction data.
  • Never leave a computer unattended while using online banking.
  • Never conduct banking transactions while multiple browsers are open on your computer.

 

Tips to Avoid Phishing, Spyware and Malware

  • Do not open e-mail from unknown sources. Be suspicious of e-mails purporting to be from a financial institution, government department, or other agency requesting account information, account verification, or banking access credentials such as usernames, passwords, PIN codes, and similar information. Opening file attachments or clicking on web links in suspicious e-mails could expose your system to malicious code that could hijack your computer.
  • Never respond to a suspicious e-mail or click on any hyperlink embedded in a suspicious e-mail. Call the purported source if you are unsure who sent an e-mail.
  • If an e-mail claiming to be from your financial organization seems suspicious, checking with your financial organization may be appropriate.
  • Online banking does not use pop-up windows to display login messages or errors. They are displayed directly on the login screen.
  • Online banking never displays pop-up messages indicating that you cannot use your current browser.
  • Online banking error messages never include an amount of time to wait before trying to login again.
  • Be advised that repeatedly being asked to enter your user ID and password are signs of potentially harmful activity.
  • Being asked challenge questions if your computer was previously registered is a sign of potentially harmful activity.
  • Install anti-virus and spyware detection software on all computer systems. Free software may not provide protection against the latest threats compared with an industry standard product.
  • Update all your computers regularly with the latest versions and patches of both anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
  • Ensure computers are patched regularly, particularly operating systems and key applications.
  • Install a dedicated, actively managed firewall, especially if using a broadband or dedicated connection to the internet, such as DSL or cable. A firewall limits the potential for unauthorized access to your network and computers.
  • Check your setting and select, at least, a medium level of security for your browser.
  • Clear the browser cache before starting any online banking session to eliminate copies of web pages that have been stored on the hard drive. How the cache is cleared depends on the browser and version you are using. This function is generally found in the browser’s preferences menu.
  • Be advised that you will never be presented with a maintenance page after entering login credentials. Legitimate maintenance pages are displayed when first reaching the URL and before entering login credentials.

 

Tips for Wireless Network Management

Wireless networks can provide an unintended open door to your network. Unless a valid business reason exists for wireless network use, it is recommended that all wireless networks be disabled. If a wireless network is to be used for legitimate business purposes, it is recommended that wireless networks be secured as follows:

  • Change the wireless network hardware (router/access point) administrative password from the factory default to a complex password. Save the password in a secure location as it will be needed to make future changes to the device.
  • Disable remote administration of the wireless network hardware (router/ access point).
  • If possible, disable broadcasting the network SSID.
  • If your device offers WPA encryption, secure your wireless network by enabling WPA encryption of the wireless network. If your device does not support WPA encryption, enable WEP encryption.
  • If only known computers will access the wireless network, consider enabling MAC filtering on the network hardware. Every computer network card is assigned a unique MAC address. MAC filtering will only allow computers with permitted MAC addresses access to the wireless network.

If you would like more information about Identity Theft Protection and phishing or other scams, visit our Privacy and Security Center or call 508-828-5420.

 

Ways we protect you:

  • Online Banking Fraud Prevention
  • Trusteer
    • Are you protecting your computer from financial malware? With cybersecurity on the rise having just anti-virus running on your computer may not be enough. Download your free copy of Trusteer Rapport to further enhance the security of your workstation.
  • Fraud Monitoring
    • Monitoring accounts for suspicious transactions: Bristol County Savings Bank monitors your account for suspicious transactions. If we detect a debit card transaction that appears suspicious, we will notify you via text, phone or email to determine if the transaction was originated by you. Any customers who have an active debit card will automatically be enrolled in this free service. We will ask you to validate the merchant, amount, date/time, and location of the purchase. We will never ask you to send account information via email or text that we initiate. You should never reply to text messages or emails that ask you to send account information. Please note, however, that if you contact Customer Service, we may ask you for personal information to verify that we are communicating with the account owner. The success of this fraud prevention depends on the cardholder verification process. If we are unable to verify your identity, or the legitimacy of a suspicious transaction, we may temporarily freeze your debit card. It is critical that you have accurate mailing addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers associated with your debit card.
  • Secure Email
    • Never provide your account information via email. If you must contact us via email, please use our secure method.
    • To send an encrypted email to someone at Bristol County Savings Bank, create your own secure mailbox which can be used for secure communications between you and any Bristol County Savings Bank employee. Click here to learn more about our Secure Email.

 

Ways you can protect yourself:

  • Update your browser
  • Computer Safety
  • Protect your business
  • Keep your contact information current
    • Changed addresses, email or phone numbers? Another way to keep your personal information secure is to ensure that Bristol County Savings Bank has the most up to date contact information for every account holder. Much of this information can be updated in the online banking dashboard, when you stop into a branch or call our Customer Service Center. Keeping your email, address and mobile number up to date will help us keep you secure online! If you receive a call from anyone who claims to be from the Bank please hang up and notify us immediately.