The safety and security of your money and your information is incredibly important to us. That is why we are happy to announce that beginning on March 16th, with the help of our partners at Prism®, we will increase monitoring of your debit and/or ATM card for potential fraud 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!
Prism® monitors your transactions and alerts you when an ATM or debit card transaction that is atypical or suspicious is detected. If fraud is suspected, the following will occur:
- Your ATM and/or debit card will be temporarily blocked from use to prevent further fraud.
- A Risk Management Analyst from Prism® will call you regarding the recent suspicious transactions on your ATM or debit card.
- If they are unable to reach you, they will leave a message with a case number you can refer to and return a telephone number.
- If the transactions are legitimate and you verify this with the Risk Management Analyst from Prism® or the Bank, your card will be restored to full access.
- If the transactions are not legitimate, your card will be turned off and you will be asked to contact the Bank as soon as possible. We will assist you with reviewing your account and filling out any necessary fraudulent transaction dispute forms to help resolve any associated issues for you as soon as possible.
Some of the activities that may prompt a call include:
- Suddenly using your ATM or debit card in a new location, either domestically or overseas.
- Having a sudden string of costly purchases.
- Any pattern associated with new fraud trends around the world.
Help us to help you!
Our goal is to minimize your exposure to risk and the impact of any fraud without creating significant inconvenience for you. In order to meet this goal, we need your help. Please:
- Let us know if you will be traveling out of the area, even within the country. This will ensure that the system isn’t “surprised” by sudden card usage in a new location.
- Keep your contact information including your cell phone number and email address with the Bank up to date. This ensures that we can notify you quickly if we notice anything unexpected with your account.
- Monitor your statement and transactions. Let us know immediately if you notice an unexpected or erroneous charge on your statement, or while reviewing your transactions online.
- Take and/or promptly return calls from the Risk Management Analysts at Prism®. Your participation in responding to our call is critical to prevent fraud and minimize any inconvenience should restrictions be placed on your card use.
Here are a few easy steps that you can take to protect yourself from debit, credit and ATM card fraud:
- Protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN) when you are shopping and at ATMs. Cover your card and watch for anything unusual, such as people watching or using cell phones or mirrors to view your transaction. Avoid standalone ATMs, especially those that don’t seem to work. Also avoid ATMs that appear to be damaged or have unusual attachments on or around the area where you insert or swipe your card. Never write your PIN on your card, card sleeve or on anything stored in your wallet/purse.
- Before you enter any personal or financial information on a website, always make sure the computer or mobile access device you are using is equipped with a reputable, and updated anti-virus program and firewall.
- Ensure that you have installed the latest security updates for your operating system and any applications that you use. Keep your web browser updated with the latest security settings and patches.
- Be wary of phone calls, text messages, emails, websites and pop-up windows that ask for personal information, such as your birth date, social security number, passwords or account numbers. Meredith Village Savings Bank will never ask for this information via any of these methods. Our website address is www.mvsb.com. If an email, advertisement or pop-up directs you to a different address, don’t use it, and contact us as soon as possible.
- Monitor all of your checking, savings and credit card accounts closely and quickly report any unusual activity to your financial institution. Using online, mobile and telephone banking to monitor your accounts between statements can help you pick up on unusual activity faster. In addition, if your regular statement doesn’t arrive when you expect it to, contact us as soon as possible.
