Citizens Bank is committed to providing a secure banking environment for our clients. In addition, we at Citizens Bank realize the importance of sharing important security information and tips with you. One of the most important tips is for you to keep in mind that Citizens Bank will never contact you to solicit your account or other personal identification information via email, text messages or over the phone. Citizens Bank will never attempt to download any type of Business or Consumer online banking system updates or other software/certificates to your computer through an email link. If you receive an email, text or phone call from someone claiming to be from Citizens Bank asking for account or personal identification, or if you think your accounts have been compromised, please alert us at 800-676-6276. Online Account Opening SecurityCitizens Bank uses 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption which gives you one of the highest levels of security possible for protecting confidential transactions over the Internet. The encryption process converts sensitive information into a string of unrecognizable characters to prevent theft of confidential information. Email ScamsCitizens Bank wants to make sure you know the facts about email fraud so you can defend your personal identification information and your accounts. Scammers work hard to get this information, and you have to work smarter to protect it. Citizens Bank will never solicit confidential information about your accounts through email. If you receive a suspicious email asking you to open an attachment or click on a link to provide personal information, do not take action. From time to time you may receive emails from us promoting Citizens Bank products or services, bank announcements, or changes to your accounts, but in these emails we will provide a contact person or general toll-free telephone number at the bank for you to contact should you have any questions. As a reminder, never divulge any personal identification information if requested via an email. Personal identification information is defined as: - Account or credit card numbers
- Passwords or PINs
- Social Security Number
- Mother’s Maiden Name
- Other private information
If you receive an email from someone claiming to be from Citizens Bank asking for account or personal identification, or if you think your accounts have been compromised, please alert us at 888-493-5142. To report a suspicious email go to OnGuard Online hosted by the federal government. Phishing ScamsRecently, scammers have become very sophisticated in their attempts to obtain your personal and account information. One such scam known as "phishing" sends the victim an email claiming to be from a reputable financial institution. The message in the email directs the victim to click on a link that redirects them to a false web page that looks like a legitimate bank web page. Once the scammer has lured the victim to the fraudulent site they are able to capture account numbers, social security numbers, and other personal identification information that will help them to commit fraud. Another phishing scheme attempts to convince the customer they need special security software to provide encryption, SSL Certificates or some other software protection against unauthorized access to your online banking account. Actually, the criminals are trying to download malicious software to your computer to capture keystrokes, IDs, passwords and other confidential information. DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK OR APPROVE THE DOWNLOAD. DELETE THE EMAIL. Citizens Bank will never attempt to download software to your computer through an email link. PrivacyPlease read Citizens Bank's Privacy Statement. |