Security Awareness

F&M Bank’s internet banking has several levels of security.  We are committed to protecting the privacy of our customers as well as providing you with competitive products and services to meet your financial needs.

We’ve instituted policies, procedures, employee training and communication programs designed for the sole purpose of protecting your information. For example, we

•Restrict access to your nonpublic personal information to only those persons with a business need to know the information in order to process or service your account(s).

•Contractually require third parties doing business with F&M Bank to comply with all applicable privacy and security laws.

•Maintain electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable federal and state standards to guard your nonpublic personal information.

F&M Bank will not sell personally identifying information to a third party for the purpose of solicitation or provide personal information to a third party for its own use.

Categories of information we collect

F&M Bank collects non-public personal information from the following sources:

Information we receive from you on applications or other forms you provide us;           Information that we receive from processing your accounts with us, and the transactions in those accounts, as well as information that we receive from providing services to you; and information we receive from a consumer reporting agency.

F&M Bank will never ask you for confidential information through email or regular mail.  Do not provide any account or security information to anyone unless you initiate a request with an F&M Bank employee.

*COPPA Notice:  This website is not directed to children and will not be used to collect, use, or disclose personal information from children under 13 years of age.”

IDENTITY SECURITY PRACTICES

Please follow these security practices to help keep your identity and finances secure.

With multiple layers of security, F&M takes extensive measures to protect your personal and business information. You can also help safeguard your information and identity online with the following steps…

When you’re online

•Keep your antivirus software and mobile device firmware and update with the latest versions at all times.

•Secure your web browsers from malware attacks and fraudulent websites with website authentication software. You can tell your data is being protected when you see a URL beginning with “https”.  You should also see a padlock , either locked or unlocked.

•Be aware of common identity theft schemes and possible new virus threats.  You can learn more by frequently visiting sites such as www.symantec.com and being aware of any media reports.  You can also visit the Federal Trade Commission website.

•Never leave your computer unattended when you are logged into a financial site and always sign off when your transactions are complete.

•Although we don’t recommend using public WiFi or public computers to access your account, be sure to take precautions if doing so.

Receiving and responding to emails

•F&M Bank will never request your passwords, deposit account numbers, credit card numbers or other sensitive information through an email.

•Don’t respond to scam emails that appear to come from government agencies like the FDIC or third party financial organizations advising you that an electronic transaction has failed. Please contact your financial institution.

•Only send personal and financial information through a secure email.

 Passwords

•Make your password complex, using a minimum of 8 characters and a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

•Use a different password for different websites as well as your mobile device.

•Change your passwords every 90 days or on a regular basis.

•Do not share passwords or PINs .

Your Responsibility to help ensure your web safety

•Keep your online access credentials to yourself.  Do not share them with anyone.  If you suspect that your username, password, security code and/or PIN have been lost or stolen, change them and contact us immediately. You may also ask us to disable your password and issue a new one to you.

•Report any unauthorized access or suspicious activity on your account immediately.

•Never leave your computer unattended while logged in to the F&M website; always log out completely when finished.

ATM

When visiting an ATM machine:

•Be aware of your surroundings.  If someone is within close proximity of the ATM and appears machine and appears suspicious in any way, leave the area.

•If an ATM is poorly lit, go to another ATM location that is more securely lit and report poorly lit locations to the bank operating it.

•Be sure to always complete your ATM transaction before leaving.  Some machines have a final screen that asks if you want another transaction before leaving.  Always check the last screen on the ATM machine to make sure you have finished all steps.

What to do if your information is ever compromised                          

•Suspicious account activity: Notify our operation department immediately on any unauthorized activity: 706.678.1111.

•Immediately report lost or stolen F&M Debit Card/ATM Card: If your ATM card or Debit card is lost or stolen, please contact one of our branches nearest you:

Monday through Thursday,  8:30AM to 4:30 PM  –  Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Outside of normal business hours stated above or for holidays, call 1-800-500-1044

It is important that you notify F&M Bank immediately in the event that your card is lost or stolen. Always use your card in a well-lighted and secure area, and NEVER give your card or PIN number to anyone to use.

•Contact the police and file a report if your card is stolen.

•Request a hold on any bank accounts or online account you suspect might be compromised and once all approved outstanding transactions have cleared—close the account.

•Consider placing a credit freeze on your account with one of the 3 major credit bureaus.

◦Equifax: 800.685.1111

◦Experian: 888.397.3742

◦Trans Union: 800.888.4213

 Once one bureau is notified, the information is passed on to the others.

•Report scams to the FTC:

Send any spam or fraudulent email to: [email protected].

If you’ve been scammed, file a complaint at: www.ftc.gov.

FTC CONSUMER INFORMATION & ALERTS

Phishing

Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses fraudulent emails or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords or other sensitive information.  According to the FTC, phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with.  The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information.  The message directs you to a website that appears to be a legitimate organization’s site.  Do not respond to ANY EMAIL requests for information to provide private information online.  F&M Bank does not use email or pop-ups for this purpose.

Vishing

Vishing is the criminal practice of using social engineering by telephone to gain access to private personal and financial information from the public for the purpose of financial reward.

Virus

A virus is a section of computer code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge – normally for a malicious purpose.

A Trojan virus is a program that may appear to be legitimate but performs an illicit activity, normally for a malicious purpose such as stealing your passwords or other personal information.

Malware is software that is intended to damage or disrupt a computer or network.

Always make sure you have an antivirus program installed and regularly updated on your computer.

Mobile Phone

A newer fraud trend called Smishing is occurring whereby a text message or voicemail is sent to attempt to collect sensitive information such as user names, passwords, debit/credit card details by pretending to be a trustworthy entity. DO NOT RESPOND.  Contact your financial institution immediately and report the activity.

Use the passcode lock on your smartphone and other devices.  This will make it more difficult to access your information if your device is lost or stolen.

Enabling encryption on your smartphone is one of the best ways to safeguard information stored on the device.

Log out completely when you finish a mobile banking session.

Protect your phone from viruses and malicious software by installing mobile security software.

Use caution when downloading apps which may contain malicious software, worms, and viruses.  Beware of apps that require unnecessary “permissions”.

Regularly download and update your device.

Avoid storing sensitive information such as passwords or SSN on mobiles devices.

Tell your financial institution immediately if you change your phone number or lose your mobile device.

Be aware of shoulder surfers.  The most basic form of information theft is observation.  Be aware of your surroundings when you’re punching in sensitive information.

Install a phone locator/remote erase app.  Wipe your mobile device before you donate, sell, or trade it by using specialized software or using the manufacturer’s recommended technique.  Some software allows you to wipe your device remotely if it is lost or stolen.

WiFi

F&M Bank does not recommend using WiFi hot spots (such as a coffee shop or hotel) to log into your financial information.  These networks do not carry a high level of security.  If you need to access your account, try disabling the Wi-Fi and switching to your mobile.

Apps & Tablets

If you have an electronic “tablet”, be cautions of what apps you are downloading.  Be sure they are from a trusted source.

Bank Statements

Be sure to review your bank statements every month.  If you notice any changes you believe were not initiated by you, please contact your Bank immediately.

Shredding

Shred all documents that have personal information on them such as account numbers, credit card numbers or social security numbers. Shred unsolicited offers mailed to you for new credit cards or a line of credit.

Mailbox

Be sure to remove mail from your mailbox daily.  If at all possible, do not leave checks to pay your bills in your mailbox.  Unfortunately, there has been an increase in mailbox content theft.