Protecting your privacy is important to
First Financial Bank and Trust Co. and our employees. We
want you to understand what information we collect and
how we use it. In order to provide our customers with a
broad range of financial products and services as
effectively and conveniently as possible, we use
technology to manage and maintain customer information.
The following policy serves as a standard for all First
Financial Bank and Trust Co.’s employees for collection,
use, retention and security of nonpublic personal
information.
What Information We Collect
We may collect “nonpublic personal information” about
you from the following sources:
Information we receive from you on applications or
other loan and account forms;
Information about your transactions with us or
others; and
Information we receive from third parties such as
credit bureaus.
“Nonpublic personal information” is nonpublic
information about you that we obtain in connection with
providing a financial product or service to you. For
example, nonpublic personal information includes
information regarding your account balance, payment
history, and overdraft history.
What Information We Disclose
We are permitted under law to disclose nonpublic
personal information about you to other third parties in
certain circumstances. For example, we may disclose
nonpublic information about you to third parties to
assist us in servicing your loan or account with us, to
government entities in response to subpoenas, and to
credit bureaus. We do not disclose any nonpublic
personal information about you to anyone, except as
permitted by law.
If you decide to close your account(s) or become an
inactive customer we will continue to adhere to the
privacy policies and practices described in this notice.
Our Security Procedures
We also take steps to safeguard customer information.
We restrict access to your personal and account
information to those employees who need to know that
information to provide products or services to you.
Employees who violate these standards will be subject to
disciplinary measures. We maintain physical, electronic,
and procedural safeguards that comply with federal
standards to guard your nonpublic personal information.
Protect Yourself From Fraud
Phishing
Unfortunately fraud has become a factor that we all
must be on the lookout for. There are criminals that
attempt to acquire personal information such as account
numbers passwords and social security numbers to use
illegally for their own benefit. “Phishing” is the term
used to describe this type of illegal activity. It is
pronounced “fishing”, and that is exactly what the
criminals are doing; fishing for your personal
information.
In a typical phishing scam, an e-mail will be sent that
appears to come from a reputable company that you
recognize such as your bank. In some cases, the e-mail
may appear to come from a government agency such as the
IRS or a bank regulatory agency.
The e-mail will warn you of a problem that requires your
immediate response. The e-mail will direct you to click
on a link that will send you to the institution’s
website. In a phishing scam you will be redirected to a
phony website that may look exactly like the companies
real site. In most cases you will be asked to verify
personal information for verification purposes or update
your account information. This is how the criminals
obtain your information.
The phishing scam outlined above could also take place
via the phone or mail? Criminals have learned to launch
their attack on different fronts.
How to Avoid Being a Victim of a Phishing Scam
Be suspicious of any urgent request for personal
or financial information.
Do not use the links in unsolicited e-mails to get
to websites.
Never provide personal information in response to
unsolicited request.
Always ensure that you are using a secure website
when submitting personal information.
Review your account activity regularly to make
certain all transactions are legitimate.
Make sure that your web browser is up to date with
security patches installed.
Please note that no financial institution should
contact you and request personal information such as
account numbers or PINs. If this occurs, please contact
your financial institution directly via telephone or in
person to ensure you know who you are talking to and
inform them of the attempt to acquire your personal
information.
Tips for Avoiding Identity Theft
Never provide your social security number, account
numbers, PINs or other personal information to anyone
via e-mail or over the phone.
Always shred old papers which may contain your
personal information.
Never use your mail box for outgoing mail and
remove incoming mail promptly. Identity thieves
regularly raid mail boxes in search of your personal
information.
Review your credit report from time to time
Never allow a computer system to remember your
password for convenience.
Choose a unique password and change your password regularly
Do not allow yourself to be a victim of a phishing
scam as outlined above.
What to do if You Become a Victim of Phishing or ID
Theft
Contact your financial institution immediately.
Close any accounts that may be effected and create
new passwords for new accounts that are opened.
Request a “fraud alert” with the three major
credit bureaus and also request that no new credit be
granted without your approval.
