Security Policy

ALMA Bank wants our customers to have the safest and most secure online banking and bill paying experience possible. There are many threats to your security and privacy while on the internet posed by hackers, “phishers,” or unscrupulous companies. Therefore we recommend you take the following steps to help ensure that your private information is secure while banking online, shopping online, or using any other features offered by websites, especially those that involve your confidential information.

• Be sure your computer is virus free, and you have an up-to-date antivirus program. Viruses can easily infect and capture sensitive information on an unprotected computer.
• Be sure your computer is “spyware” or “malware” free. Many small programs offered by websites that say they can speed up your internet connection or assist you with shopping often track your activities online and could share personal information. These small programs will often slow down your computer, automatically send you to unknown websites, or create pop-ups.
• If you use a broadband internet connection, we recommend installing a software or hardware “firewall.” This will help prevent anyone from accessing your computer from the internet, and help stop any unknown programs that may be on your computer from sending out personal information.
• Do not include personal or financial information in any email. Before submitting financial information through a website, look for the “lock” icon in your browser’s status bar. That indicates your information is secure during transmission.

Contact a computer professional if you have additional questions about the items above.

Customers should also be alert for fraudulent emails that appear to be from ALMA Bank or other businesses you deal with. The email may say you need to update or validate your account information. You might then be directed to a website which looks like the legitimate business website and asked to submit your personal or financial information. Scammers would then use this information to purchase goods or commit identity fraud.

We urge you to take the following precautions:

• If you get an email that warns you that an account of yours will be closed unless you confirm your billing information, do not reply or click on any link within the email. Contact the company cited in the email directly, using a telephone number you know to be genuine.
• Never disclose any personal or confidential information if requested via an unsolicited email or phone call.
• Check your bank account and credit card statements as soon as you receive them to determine if there are any unauthorized charges. If your bank or credit card statement is late by more than a few days or contains unauthorized charges, contact ALMA Bank or your credit card company immediately.

If you have any questions, please call ALMA Bank directly at 718-267-ALMA (2562).