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Stay Secure: Practical Tools for Fraud Prevention

Education is the most powerful tool available to stop scams before they start.

Put your Phishing Knowledge to the Test

Photo of young woman sitting in a coffee shop with her laptop and cell phoneBad characters are getting creative, but their tricks always fall apart when you know the red flags. Taking this quick quiz is a great, stress-free way to practice spotting deceptive messages before they land in your inbox.

  • It only takes a few minutes: Face off against real-world scam examples in a quick, interactive game.
  • Great for the whole family: Share it with your kids or parents to help look out for the people you care about most.
  • Knowledge is power: Walk away with simple, everyday habits that keep your hard-earned money right where it belongs.

Ready to see how you score? Click here to take the #BanksNeverAskThat Quiz

Bank Account Security Check-Up: How to Prevent Fraud

Protecting your finances is a partnership. While Town & Country Bank monitors your accounts around the clock, you can take simple, everyday steps to secure your personal data. Use our Bank Account Security Checklist to keep your digital identity safe.

1. Quick Wins: The "Set and Forget" Security Essentials

These simple updates take less than 5 minutes to set up but block the vast majority of digital fraud.

  • Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Turn on MFA for all financial and banking applications. This requires a second verification step, such as a temporary code sent to your phone or generated by an authenticator app, keeping hackers out even if they guess your password.
  • Set Up Real-Time Account Alerts: Log into your Town & Country Bank mobile app or Digital banking and enable “Transaction Alerts.”  You will receive immediate notifications whenever your debit is used, allowing you to catch unauthorized charges instantly.
  • Turn on Automatic Software Updates: Ensure your mobile phone, computer, and web browsers are running the latest operating system (OS). Security patches in the these updates act as vital armor against emerging digital threats.
  • Add Debit Card to Mobile Wallet: Link your Town & Country Bank debit card to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. Mobile wallets use “tokenization” to encrypt your financial details, ensuring your real card number is never stored on your phone or shared during transactions.
2. Digital Tune-Up: Your Monthly Bank Security Routine

Dedicate a few minutes once a month to audit your digital footprint and clean up your accounts.

  • Monitor Monthly Bank Statements: spend five minutes reviewing your recent transaction history. Look closely for tiny, unrecognized charges (often $1.00 or less), which scammers use as “test runs” before making larger purchases.
  • Create Strong Passphrases: Swap out standard passwords for a strong passphrase- a sequence of four to five random words (e.g., BlueMountianCoffeeTRactor!). Long phrases are exponentially harder for computer algorithms to crack than single words with numbers.
  • Uninstall Unused Mobile Apps: Delete old shopping, finance, or utility apps you no longer use. Reducing the number of apps on your phone limits the entry points scammers can exploit to steal your personal data.
3. Real-World Habits: Daily Guardrails Against Scams

Most security breaches target personal trust rather than system technicalities. Use these daily habits to keep your accounts secure.

  • Practice the “Five-Second Rule” Online: Before clicking any link in an urgent text or unexpected email, pause for five seconds. Check if the sender’s email address looks slightly misspelled or if the message creates an artificial sense of panic.
  • Verify Incoming Phone Calls: If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming  to represent Town & Country Bank, do not share sensitive information. Simply hang up and call the official customer service number printed on the back of your debit card to verify the request.
  • Enroll in Secure eStatements: Physical mail theft is a common source of identity theft. Switch to electronic bank statements (eStatements) through our secure portal to keep your sensitive financial documents out of paper mailboxes.
  • Checkout with Mobile Pay Online: When shopping online or in stores, choose Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay instead of manually typing in your debit card number. Because transactions are authorized using your phones biometrics (FaceID or Fingerprint), scammers can’t scrape your card details if a online shop suffers a data breach.

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