Privacy and Security

Identity Theft occurs when someone obtains another person’s personal identifying information, without lawful authority, for economic gain or criminal purposes.

Signs of identity theft:

• Accounts you didn’t open or debts on your credit report that you did not apply for or cannot explain.
• Fraudulent or inaccurate information on your credit reports, including accounts and personal information, such as Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers.
• Failure to receive monthly statements or credit card bills. Follow up with the Bank or creditors if your statements or bills do not arrive on time. A missing bill could mean someone has taken over your account and modified your billing address.
• Receiving credit cards that you didn’t apply for.
• Being denied credit or being offered less favorable credit terms, like a high-interest rate, without apparent reason.
• Receiving phone calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses regarding merchandise or services you didn’t purchase.
• Protect yourself against identity theft:
• Change all passwords regularly
• Never provide personal identifying information over the phone
• Never share your login information with anyone and be cautious of anyone requesting that information
• Do not use your credit or debit card for internet purchases unless it is a safe, secured, encrypted system.
• Do not place outgoing mail in your mailbox, use a postal office or box
• Shred all mail that contains personal information
• Monitor your bank and credit card statements monthly. If you receive paper statements be aware if you are missing either a statement or a bill.
• Order your free credit report annually – www.annualcreditreport.com

If you feel you have been a victim of identity theft contact the branch location nearest you for assistance or visit

Go to IdentityTheft.gov to report and recover from identity theft.

Equifax, one of the largest credit agencies in the United States, confirmed they had suffered a major data breach that could potentially impact 143 million Americans. Equifax has established a dedicated website which contains information about the incident and information to help consumers determine if their personal information may have been potentially impacted.

Go to equifaxesecurity2017.com

We have recently seen increased levels of debit card fraud with counterfeit cards. Please ensure that we have accurate contact information in our systems so that the Bank or our Fraud Center can contact you if we notice any suspicious transactions. To limit our fraud losses, we have placed transaction blocks or restrict to PIN required on certain swiped transactions in several states. It is important to notify the Bank if you will be traveling so we can note your card accordingly. This will avoid any unnecessarily blocked transactions.
Debit Card Fraud Alerts.

In our continuing efforts to keep your accounts secure, we are improving our alert system for potential debit card fraud. The new system will include actionable emails, texts and automatic phone calls to expedite the identification of fraudulent card transactions.

When potential fraud is detected on your debit card, you will receive an automatic phone call, email or text notification with the option to reply with “fraud” or “no fraud.”

If there is no response received from you, your card will be blocked from future transactions until a fraud or no fraud confirmation is received. If your card has been blocked the fraud department can assist 1-800-417-4592.

To report a lost or stolen ATM or debit card, please call one of our offices. After hours, call:

1-866-546-8273

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has issued supervisory guidance for banks designed to help make online transactions more secure in response to an ever-dangerous online threat environment. Scams and hacking techniques are more sophisticated, new threats are continually being developed and organized crime groups in both the United States and Internationally have become a major force in expanding online fraud and theft.

The security tips and below provides important information to help you understand online transaction risk and options to help you control these risks. It is important that you are informed and aware.

Password Security Tips:

• Do not share your User ID’s or Passwords with another person or provide them to others. Safeguard your online banking credentials.
• Many websites force password changes every 60 or 90 days. If a website does not do so, take the initiative to change your password regularly.

Website Security Tips:

• Monitor account activity. View account activity online on a regular basis and review periodic statements.
• Log off from websites, do not just close out.
• Research any website or app before downloading
• Do not conduct financial transactions through an unsecured Wi-Fi network and disable settings that automatically detect and connect your device to Wi-Fi.

Computer/Network Security Tips:

• Use quality security monitoring software on your PC that includes anti-virus, anti-malware and firewall functions.
• Use your PC’s security features such as individual log-in accounts.
• Keep PC operating system security up-to-date by applying patches and updates.
• Password-protect your computer network (physical or wireless)

Email Security

• Be wary of suspicious emails. Never open attachments, click on links, or respond to emails from suspicious or unknown senders.
• If you receive a suspicious email, do not respond or provide any information.
• If you think you may have responded to a phishing email with personal or account information, contact the branch nearest you for assistance.
• Conduct online banking activities on secure computers only. Public workstations and computers (library, internet cafes, copy centers, etc.) should be used with caution, due to shared use and possible tampering.
• Online banking activities and viewing or downloading documents (statements, etc.) should only be conducted on a computer you know to be safe and secure.
• Ensure your computer software is current. Before downloading an update to your computer program, go to the company’s website to confirm the update is legitimate.

What does 21st Century Bank do with your Personal Information?

Privacy Policy (PDF)