Business Fraud Prevention Tips

Tips to Protect Your Business from Account Fraud

Citizens Bank is always working to protect your account information.   We recommend the following tips to help keep your business safe from corporate account takeover and other fraudulent schemes that often effect commercial accounts.

  • Educate your employees - You and your employees are the first line of defense against corporate account takeover. Paired with a strong security program, employee education about the warning signs, safe practices, and recommended responses to a suspected takeover is essential to protecting your company and customers.
  • Protect your online environment -  It is important to protect your cyber environment just as you would your cash and physical location. Do not use unprotected internet connections. Encrypt sensitive data and keep updated virus protections on your computer. Use complex passwords or passphrases and change them periodically.
  • Partner with Citizens Bank - Talk to a banker at your local Citizens Bank branch about services available to help safeguard you from unauthorized transactions. Positive Pay and other services offer call-backs, device authentication, multi-person approval processes, and batch limits to help protect you from fraud.
  • Watch for suspicious activity and react quickly - Monitor for unexplained account or network activity, pop-ups, and suspicious emails. If detected, immediately contact Citizens Bank at (601) 736-2601, stop all online activity, and disconnect that computer from the Internet. Keep records of what happened.
  • Understand your responsibilities and liabilities - Your Citizens Bank account agreement will detail commercially reasonable security measures that are required by Citizens Bank. It is critical that you understand and implement these security safeguards to avoid liability for losses resulting from a takeover. Talk to your banker if you have any questions about your responsibilities.

Citizens Bank products and features to help protect your business include:

  • Mobile Banking - to view account transactions 24/7 and temporarily suspend your business debit card in the event it is lost or stolen.
  • Positive Pay - to help detect check fraud by identifying items you did not issue.
  • Multifactor Authentication for Cash Management and all online and mobile services - to better protect your confidential information and your business.