In today's digitally connected world, there's certainly no shortage of ways to go online and potentially put your security, and identity, at risk. As always, we want to take an extra moment to draw attention to the very important topic of online security and what we're doing here at Consumers National Bank year round to help keep you (and your accounts) safe online.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $5.8 billion to phishing and other fraud in 2021, a 70% increase from 2020. In case you’re not familiar with the terminology, Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from a reputable company in order to trick individuals into sharing personal information, such as passwords, bank account information, or credit card numbers. To be clear, Consumers National Bank will never ask you for your password or user name.

One of the steps that we've taken here at Consumers National Bank to combat phishing scams and ensure that when you receive an email from us, you can confirm it's really from us, is our use of the .Bank (dot bank) website domain name extension. This domain extension is reserved exclusively for banks and is evidence that you are receiving email from, or browsing the website of, a real bank. 

When we redesigned our website, it was important to us to implement this more secure and verifiable domain name, as an outward display of our commitment to the importance of security for our customers. If you ever receive an email from the bank or visit our website, be sure that it is consumers.bank! 

Our Comprehensive Security Resource

To help keep our customers safe year-round, our Security page is available in the footer of every single page on our website. It provides a wealth of information and tips on protecting your information, ensuring you’re using secure browsers for your online transactions, how to avoid frauds and scams, and MUCH more!

We also have an additional resource, How to Protect Yourself from Online Scams. You’ll find even more great information on ways to stay safe online. Be sure to check that page out as well.

What to Do if You Discover Something Suspicious

If you receive an email that does not appear to be coming from the bank, or happen to discover a transaction while inside of Online Banking that was not something that you authorized, be sure to get in touch with us as soon as possible. By reporting instances of fraud to us quickly, we can work with you to minimize the impact, as well as implement measures to help protect our other customers and keep everyone safe.