Identity Theft Protection
Mastercard® ID Theft Protection
Credit Reports
Fraud unit contacts are:
Personal Identity Information
- Keep all identification and financial documents in a safe and private place.
- Provide personal information only when:
- You know how it will be used
- You are certain it won't be shared
- You initiated contact and know who you are dealing with
- Request a vacation hold if you can't pick up your mail
- Deposit outgoing mail in the post office collection boxes or at your local post office
- Remove mail from your mailbox promptly
- Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at work
- Memorize your Social Security number rather than carrying your Social Security card with you
- Do not have your Social Security or drivers license number printed on your checks
- Review your Social Security annual statement for accuracy
- Provide your Social Security number only when necessary and to those you trust
- Before revealing your Social Security number, ask:
- Why is your number needed?
- How will your number be used?
- What happens if you refuse?
How Citizens Protects You
Passwords
Access to Online Banking requires your banking ID and a unique password. This information along with any interactions and\or transactions performed is encrypted during transmission. Citizens strongly encourages you to define a unique password that only you can provide and is not tied to any personally identifiable information that a hacker could obtain from a phone book or the Internet.
Two-Factor Authentication
Citizens provides Two-Factor Authentication which significantly increases your level of protection online. When you sign-up for Online Banking you will set this up. For help with this feature, please see our help video on our Online Services page.
Timed log-off
The Citizens Online Banking platform will log you off after 10 minutes of inactivity. This reduces the risk of someone else accessing your financial information if you leave your PC unattended.
Firewall
Online Banking systems are protected 24 hours a day by a variety of security measures, including firewalls that block unauthorized entry.
Encryption
Throughout your Online Banking session, from login, to transaction activity, to log-off, all interactions are encrypted between your browser and the web server. Citizens employs some of the strongest levels of encryption available today.
You can identify a secure (encrypted session) by looking for the "closed lock" icon in the top left corner of your browser. Additionally, the Web address or URL will begin with https://.... This indicates the page you are viewing uses encryption. The "s" stands for "secured." Please note: Citizens Bank Minnesota's website works best viewed in Chrome, and does not work with Internet Explorer.
More Security Measures
While the measures noted above are instrumental to your safe interaction with Online Banking, continuous monitoring is in place to alert Citizens of any unusual activity. If suspicious activity is identified, we will take necessary steps to shut down access until the issue has been resolved. Security of your information is a top priority and we take it very seriously.
Debit Card Fraud Alerts
Citizens Bank Minnesota has enlisted the assistance of our Debit/ATM Card processor, Card Processing Solutions (CPS) Fraud Center, to identify potentially fraudulent transactions. Emails and/or SMS messages are sent 24/7 in efforts to verify authorization of transaction(s) in question. If no response is received within 20 minutes, between the hours of 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM (CST Time), a telephone call will be attempted to your home, mobile device or work number on file. If there is no answer a voice message will be left.
CPS Fraud Center will NOT ask for confidential information and will only attempt to verify transaction(s) in question. Citizens may also attempt to contact you during banking hours regarding transaction verification or suspected fraud.
