Cyber Security and Your Safety

We live in a world where information is at our fingertips. The Internet has made it possible to communicate across the globe with people in far-off lands and order retail products and services, online. However, this increase in online services and products through the Internet has equally increased the danger in conducting business online. Scammers, hackers and other cyber-criminals prowl the World Wide Web (WWW) looking for unsuspecting victims for the purpose of stealing their identities, online accounts or even worse, their money.

First Citizens Bank has recognized the need for increased security awareness for customers while conducting banking transactions; whether it is done at the ATM, the Teller or through our Online Banking platform. Additionally, we have seen the need to proactively educate the public on personal security, while using our services. Thus in order to ensure customer satisfaction, we are determined to reinforce these security practices through the Cyber Insights social media campaign.

First Citizens will be using our social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Instagram) to educate and share content with our customers and followers on how to develop better cyber security conscious habits. This will assist customers in improving their self-awareness of phishing activities, which involve the use of messages to trick online users into giving fraudsters their personal or financial information. Other similar activities are the primary methods used by criminals to mislead their victims.
First Citizens has always been at the forefront of financial technology in financial services, which we are pleased to offer to our customers. We are continuing this effort through our Cyber Insights campaign, which further enhances these services by providing you, our customer, the knowledge needed to make better and more informed decisions while conducting your affairs online or with us.

Phishing is the use of email or other electronic communication to try to draw you into a malicious website. These emails are carefully crafted such that you open it without any suspicion. Websites are designed to look exactly like our website and has very similar brand attributes, therefore making it easy for a customer to believe it is real. Once you’re there on these websites, hackers then ask you to submit your personal information, and log in credentials, passwords or transaction pin.

The most frequently used method is to send a spam email or instant messages to many people with a malicious link. The spam email is designed in such a way so as to look exactly like First Citizens.
The email may ask the recipient to click on a link and provide confidential information.

NOTE: First Citizens will not send emails that request a customer to log on, or verify personal banking information such as your PIN or password, via a web link.

1. Be on the lookout for suspicious emails
2. Verify the site is secure. First Citizens URL is https://www.firstcitizenstt.com/index.html the “s” signals that the site is secure and certified according to international standards – Digicert
3. Do not rely on any contact information provided by the requestor
4. Do not download or open any files provided in a suspicious communication
5. Verify that when you move your cursor above the web link that is the URL is the same as the secure First Citizens URL (as seen in “2” above)
6. Do not respond to the suspicious email and no not submit any personal information
7. We strongly recommend that you change passwords regularly, consistently update your antivirus software, and be careful when connecting to WiFi networks.

Most importantly First Citizens will not send emails that request a customer to log on, or verify personal banking information such as your PIN or password, via a web link.

If you have received a fraudulent email or are unsure if it’s phish, please forward it to enquiries@firstcitizens.com or ebushiftsupervisors@firstcitizenstt.com or call us at 62 – FIRST if you’ve clicked on any suspicious links or emails you’ve received.