Tracy (00:08):
Welcome to the Feeling is Mutual podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Bedeker, Vice President of Marketing at First Federal Savings Bank. We are a community bank with a mutual charter. If you thought banking was boring, the feeling is mutual. But we're here to take the boring out of banking. In this podcast, we will bring our listeners real life stories and education on financial topics, and it's all going to be delivered in a quick, fun, and interesting format. It's that wonderful time of year when everyone will be heading out or heading to your couch with your computer to do some holiday shopping. And during this time, you will no doubt be putting some miles on your debit cards and those credit cards. So today we have another one of our First Federal Savings Bank experts. Leann Whitney, who is our Chief Information Officer. Leann, would you like to take a minute to introduce yourself?

Leann (01:15):
Sure. Tracy, thanks so much for having me. I've been with First Federal Savings Bank for 25 years in the IT and security areas. I also oversee the operations area, which includes our electronic banking and our debit card services.

Tracy (01:29):
So you probably see a lot behind the scenes, don't you?

Leann (01:32):
Oh, yes.

Tracy (01:32):
And I know we see debit card fraud all year long, but I'm sure it increases during the holidays. Is that what you typically see?

Leann (01:42):
Oh, absolutely. The sheer volume of monetary transactions increases during the holidays. As we all know, merchants are also really, really active with marketing and advertising, especially emails during the holidays. So fraudsters, they use this very active time to try and swoop in and take advantage, hoping that our guards will be down or that their attempts to steal our information or our money will slip through the cracks,

Tracy (02:08):
And they are very crafty about it. I know even like on Instagram, all those ads about all those nifty little products, and you'd think for a second, should I do it or not?

Leann (02:19):
Right? Like, oh, my brother would really love that.

Tracy (02:21):
My brother would love those electronic socks, wouldn't he? But it's definitely a topic that we need to monitor and watch very closely, and we hear at First Federal Savings Bank are beyond thrilled that we have you behind the scenes monitoring all of that.

Leann (02:36):
Absolutely Tracy, Fraud can hurt your credit score and really cause unnecessary bills and stress, but there are lots of ways that you can protect yourself.

Tracy (02:47):
Exactly. And I do think you have to be very mindful. Not only is it an inconvenience, but one little slipup, like you said, can really have an impact on other areas such as your credit score. And I have a feeling that you're going to share some valuable information with all of our listeners today.

Leann (03:06):
Yes. I just have a couple of tips, easy tips, to help you keep your money and your identity safe so that you can enjoy a prosperous and peaceful new year. First, I would say enroll in all of the available security alerts and features. For instance, with us, your First Fed debit card comes with built-in card controls. These controls can do everything from turning your card on and off altogether to limiting the types of merchants or geographic locations. Also even sending a text alert or a push notification to your mobile phone for transactions that are over your specified dollar amount.

Tracy (03:42):
And that's a great point because I've had a lot of conversations not only with my children, with my family who may travel, and I'll tell them to put their alerts on, and guess what? The first thing I get back is I don't know how to do that.

Leann (03:55):
Right, right.

Tracy (03:56):
So is that located within your mobile app?

Leann (03:58):
It is. It's exactly where it's located. So you go in, log into your FFSB mobile app. Once you're in the app, you will see an option for cards and in that area there's a section for managing the card that has various controls and alerts. Another tip while you're logged in is to spot check your account history. So of course you get your monthly statements and we provide monthly account statements which show all of your transaction activity during the cycle, but it never hurts, especially when you have a large or a higher volume of activity to check your history more frequently. Some debit card transactions may take an extra day or two to appear in your account after your purchases, so don't be alarmed if you don't see them yet. But spot checking your account by accessing your online banking or your mobile app more frequently will help you catch and report any potential fraud before it becomes a bigger issue. While you're there, check out some of the other account alerts that you can enable. One that I really love is a low balance notification. So when it's time to stop shopping for Tommy and Susie,

Tracy (05:05):
That is a great point. I know I have my kids set up on that as well. That low balance is very helpful. And just to even let you know when something was deposited or withdrawn, I probably get more notifications than I need, but again, I'd rather be safe than sorry because we don't want any surprises, especially at this time of year.

Leann (05:24):
Absolutely.

Tracy (05:25):
So Leann, what else?

Leann (05:27):
Well, one of my favorite tips, and that is to use your digital wallet for payments. And I know, I know, technology can be daunting, but setting up a digital wallet on your mobile device for completing payments, whether they're in person or online, is one of the best ways to secure your card information. Digital wallets, and I'm talking about your Apple Wallet® for instance. They allow you to make your payments with contactless methods instead of having to swipe or insert your card. And then that short circuits those skimmers so you don't have to worry about, oh, did somebody put a skimmer on this gas station pump? Also, contactless transactions do not share the card information such as the card number. Those transactions replace the card number with a random number each time you make a payment. So merchants never see your card number. Digital transactions also require additional verification such as your fingerprint or face biometrics or a passcode. So even if you lose your phone, thieves can't complete purchases. Another benefit, which is what I love of digital wallets is that you don't need to carry a physical card around.

Tracy (06:37):
That's wonderful,

Leann (06:38):
Right? And that means you won't lose your card. Most merchants now accept contactless digital payments.

Tracy (06:44):
And I know you hit on it when you first started, you said it can be a little daunting. And both you and I have been in banking for quite a while, and I remember when the debit cards first came out and nobody wanted to use 'em, they still wanted to use their checks. Well, now we migrated to the debit cards and I think everyone's comfortable with their debit card now, but this digital wallet I know can be a little frightening for some people because again, how do you go in and set that up? And it's really easy if you have a mobile phone, usually every phone has a wallet on it. Is that correct?

Leann (07:17):
Yes. Every phone has a wallet on it. Our debit cards can be placed into an Apple Wallet®. Feel free to do that. We're always here at our branch locations available to help you and assist you with getting that set up if you have any questions. And merchants have become so used to contactless payments that even they who used to struggle with helping you with that contactless payment, know what to do. And I've been using my Apple Wallet® for quite some time, so I'm really used to it. Personally, I love not even having to take my phone out of my purse and I just finished all my transactions with my watch. So it's not only secure, but it's super duper convenient.

Tracy (07:53):
That's wonderful. And like you said, you don't have to worry about losing that card. Nope. And getting it replaced and paying that nominal fee to have it replaced.

Leann (08:01):
Absolutely. Absolutely. And the inconvenience of not having it available to you.

Tracy (08:05):
Exactly. And just the peace of mind of where did I lose my card?

Leann (08:09):
It happens a lot. We see it a lot.

Tracy (08:11):
I can only imagine. Well, like I said, you're behind the scenes. You're like MacGyver back there so

Leann (08:17):
We do our best.

Tracy (08:18):
So what else do you have? I know you have a couple more tips for us.

Leann (08:22):
I do. Just a couple more. One is, this is a very broad tip, but watch out for scams. So, it's really no surprise that those Grinches, those fraudsters, are active during the holidays trying to scam us. So I say stay vigilant to avoid falling prey to those scams. Thieves steal information in new and inventive ways all the time. Some of the primary ways, there's two of 'em. Email phishing, and I'm sure that we've all heard of this, but with email phishing scams, you'll receive an email that may look to be from a legitimate company, but when you click on a link or open an attachment, your information is stolen. How do you recognize a phishing email? Well, you can look for red flags such as spelling errors in the body of the email requests to be urgent or act quickly. Unusual timing or delivery of the emails. Why are you sending me this on a Sunday night at 12:30 AM and inconsistencies in the domain name, that's one of the biggies. So if it's something from google.com and it's spelled goggle.com, then you know that it's probably a phishing email. So hover over those links and look at the domain address. Does it look legit? Stop, look, and don't click unless you are absolutely sure.

Tracy (09:36):
And so instead of stop, drop and roll, it's stop look and don't click

Leann (09:40):
Stop. Look, don't click.

Tracy (09:42):
I know those emails get me every time, and that is a great tip. If you hover over the domain name, it's something

Leann (09:49):
Different than what it shows, different,

Tracy (09:51):
than what it should be. So that's always kind of my first go-to, but it's really very bothersome these days. We get so many of them.

Leann (09:59):
So many, so many.

Tracy (10:01):
And opening one, like you said, can wreak havoc on the whole computer system, and

Leann (10:06):
Especially if you do it at work, please don't.

Tracy (10:10):
So stop, look, don't click, don't click,

Leann (10:12):
Stop. Look, don't

Tracy (10:13):
Click. That's be our weekly

Leann (10:15):
Mantra. Mantra.

Tracy (10:16):
Yep.

Leann (10:16):
Yep.

(10:17):
So another scam that we're seeing a lot of, and I alluded to earlier, and that is card skimming. So your card information can be stolen directly from an ATM or a card reader, such as at a gas station. Some of the most common places, of course, that gas station and vending machines, skimming devices can be anywhere. So always check the card machine before you swipe. If the framing around the card insertion slot looks like it's retrofitted, give it a little wiggle. I mean, don't try to jiggle it right off the wall, but give it a little wiggle. If it's a skimmer, then it's going to pop right off.

Tracy (10:50):
I know I had that happen to me personally when they had an issue with one of the local gas stations here. And I remember the day I went to get gas and it was just a little funky when I was putting my card in there, and of course I didn't think anything of it. And then a couple days later, a handful of us were selected as

Leann (11:10):
Unfortunate,

Tracy (11:10):
Unfortunate

Leann (11:12):
Victims.

Tracy (11:12):
I think if your card's sliding in kind of funky, that's a red flag, like you said.

Leann (11:19):
It definitely is. And I will say that some skimmers can't even be seen as they're very slim and they're actually inserted into the card slot. So the best defense in all of these cases is to mask the keypad when you're entering in your pin number. Nine times out of 10, a fraudster isn't going to be able to do anything if they're able to obtain your card number, if they don't also get your pin number. So it's important for you to shield that. Or if the person next to you at the checkout counter is a little close, make sure you go ahead and put your hand up there, make sure they can't see that pin number.

Tracy (11:49):
Keep your distance right, right,

Leann (11:51):
Right. Social distance.

Tracy (11:52):
So Leann, what should we do if you feel your debit card information is stolen?

Leann (11:57):
So what I'll say is you notify us immediately, or if it's a different card, notify that card issuer immediately. You can call the number on the back of your card, which you may not have if it's stolen. You can call your local branch location during bank hours or you can go to our website at ffsbweb.com and you can ask Penny, who is our digital assistant. The phone number is also located on our Contact us page of our website, so we have it in lots of different places. You should also sign into your mobile app, go to those card controls and lock your card on the mobile app. Then that way, even if you haven't had a chance to report an issue, you've already locked out any transactions from being able to be completed.

Tracy (12:40):
And I'm going to ask you a question off the cuff here, only because you're an expert when you get your wallet stolen, obviously all of your cards are in there. Like you said, you just made a really great point. You don't have your card number and a lot of people don't have paper statements anymore. Most of them come electronically, but when they do, typically it's not the full number on your bill. So do you have any suggestions on maybe a safe way people could keep their credit card information?

Leann (13:08):
There's card vaults that you can get for your mobile devices, and that's very similar to a card wallet and that would help you to store that information so that information is accessible. My card number is accessible to me. And also within that wallet, when you go to information under a specific card, there's an additional information icon and it will give you additional contact information for reaching out to that card issuer such as ourselves.

Tracy (13:30):
And I know the credit card companies are very good about that too, but it is a concern at your first, I don't have my cards. I don't know what my number is.

Leann (13:38):
Absolutely. We even have on our phone system, if you call our regular phone number, even if it's after hours, there's an automated system that provides the phone number to call to report that your debit card has been lost or stolen.

Tracy (13:51):
Great. Well, Leann, these simple steps and a few precautions should help keep our holidays merry and bright. So many excellent tips and we want to thank you so much for sharing with our listeners and hopefully after all of the valuable information you shared, our customers and listeners will be more watchful. These tips were excellent and I know that they're going to enjoy the holidays a little more, especially with a little sense of security and peace of mind.

Leann (14:20):
Absolutely. I appreciate you having me on to talk about this particular topic. We're actually going to also have a blog post on our website that goes through those same materials. And then we also have a link to a US treasury article that they published with a similar list. It's actually a greater list of more detailed to avoid common holiday scams altogether. So we have that link available now on our website and our security center page.

Tracy (14:45):
And I know we always try to do our best to provide valuable information for our customers on our website. So I feel it's a great resource to go to if you're ever wondering. And of course, I'm sure you can agree with me, our first item of business is making sure that our customers and their accounts are safe. Absolutely. (Leann) That is my number one priority. (Tracy) Well, Leann, thank you so much again, and thank you to all of our listeners and we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and always thank you for tuning in for another episode of The Feeling is Mutual. Our podcast are available on our website. Again, that's www.ffsbweb.com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. So signing off Happy holidays and we will see you for our next episode.