Help Your Bank Help You

We invest heavily and proactively in both physical and cybersecurity measures that safeguard our clients’ financial information. We take the responsibility of serving as your financial partner seriously. As with any great partnership, working together produces the best results. When it comes to stopping financial fraud in its tracks, we both have important roles to play. We’ll continue advancing our robust security defenses. For your part, vigilance, caution and a few key proactive steps will go a long way toward keeping you safer from fraudsters. Here are the key actions we recommend.

• Keep an eye on your accounts for suspicious activity. The more consistently you monitor your accounts, the more quickly you’ll spot fraudulent transactions. Let Bank Iowa know immediately, so we can assist in remediation.
• Notify the bank of your travel plans. If you have a vacation or work trip planned, give us a heads up so we can put a travel alert on your account. This will help to avoid any precautionary holds on your account for unusual purchase behavior or locations.
• Don’t make online purchases on an open Wi-Fi network. When accessing the internet from an unsecured public network, any personal information is at risk. Play it safe by handling financial transactions, including online shopping, over secure networks and through sites that use encryption.
• Never share sensitive financial information with someone you don’t know or trust. Cybercriminals are developing increasingly sophisticated and targeted attacks that can appear legitimate at first glance. Some may make compelling emotional appeals that exploit the sympathy of strangers. Always use an abundance of caution, and never share personal or financial information.
• Create strong, unique passwords and use two-factor authentication (2FA). Although the temptation to re-use passwords is strong, doing so significantly increases your exposure in the event of a breach. Make sure you have a complex, unique password for every website, and opt-in to use a second factor, like a one-time passcode, any time it’s offered. Password managers can help keep track of log-in credentials and generate secure passwords.
• Sign up for alerts. Alerts can be set up in Online or mobile banking by going to Settings – Alerts.

Never hesitate to give us a call if anything raises a red flag for you. Our fraud specialists are here to help! Contact them at 1-844-226-5421