Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts

St. Mary’s Bank is committed to helping our members prevent identify theft and fraud.

From supporting local workshops, seminars, and educational opportunities to providing easily accessible sources, we can prepare you with the knowledge and tools to defend from becoming a victim of fraud. We have compiled a short list of top 10 Do’s and Don’ts best practices, that when followed may help you protect yourself from scammers.

1. Don't lie to your financial institution when asked about taking money out of your account. We’re here to protect you no matter what the fraudsters or your “friends” say!
2. Don’t allow anyone to remotely access your device by entering keys/commands or go to a website and download software…even if they threaten you, say you’ll lose money or go to jail.
3. Don’t respond to unverified text/email/calls or click links. Call St. Mary’s Bank directly at (888) 786-2791 if you have concerns of unauthorized transactions or inquiries.
4. Don’t accept funds from anyone with instructions to return/forward funds to someone else, to buy gift cards or bitcoin/crypto currency.
5. Don’t share card PIN, online banking user ID/password, or any other access method with anyone including joint owners or anyone claiming to be St. Mary’s Bank.
6. Do enable online banking text notifications for account logon and transaction amount alerts.
7. Do use bookmarks or apps to access online banking as Google searches can present fraudulent look alike sites.
8. Do question “family/friends” who contact you out of the blue to offer you money or ask for money thru mobile checks, pictures of checks, Cash App, Venmo, etc.
9. Do use strong passwords/passphrases and enable multi-factor verification on all financial accounts and email access (i.e., a secondary code text to your phone).
10. Do ensure you update all devices you use to access online banking (update operating systems, anti-virus, and browsers).