Security Best Practices

The number and sophistication of phishing and spoofing scams sent out to consumers is continuing to increase dramatically. While online banking is widely considered to be as safe or safer than in-branch or ATM banking, as a general rule you should be careful about giving out your personal financial information over the Internet.

Alliance Bank Central Texas will never ask for any passwords, account numbers, social security numbers, or any other personal information via email or link within an email. If you receive any suspicions email please contact your financial institution with a known good phone number from phone book, information, etc. to verify the information.

Below is a list of recommendations you can use to avoid becoming a victim of these scams:

Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information.

What is 'Phishing'?

phishing (FISH.ing) pp. Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information. -phisher n.

Example Citations:

Phishing is the term coined by hackers who imitate legitimate companies in email messages to entice people to share passwords or credit-card numbers. Recent victims include Bank of America, Best Buy and eBay, where people were directed to Web pages that looked nearly identical to the companies' sites.

Don't use the links in an email to get to any Web page, if you suspect the message might not be authentic. Instead, call the company on the telephone, or log onto the website directly by typing in the Web address in your browser

Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information. Only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure website or the telephone

Always ensure that you're using a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser.

Regularly log into your online accounts

Don't leave it for as long as a month before you check each account
Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate; if anything is suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers

Ensure that your browser is the latest version, is up to date, and security patches applied.

Always visit your browser's home page to download the latest security patches even if they don't alert you to do so

Protect your passwords.

Change them regularly, make them 8 characters or longer, and use combinations of letters, numbers, and "special characters" like !, @, or #

Keep your computer operating system up to date.

Install update services from Microsoft or Apple to keep your system updated.
Microsoft® http://www.microsoft.com/security 
Apple Computer ® http://www.apple.com/softwareupdate

Install a personal firewall.

Though most office networks include firewall protection, your home computer may benefit from this added level of security.

Keep anti-virus software updated.

Commercially available virus protection software helps reduce the risk of contracting computer viruses that can compromise your security.

Avoid downloading programs from unknown sources.

Downloads from unfamiliar sources may contain hidden programs or viruses that can compromise your computer's security.