Account & Card Security

When it comes to staying safe from fraud, nothing counts more than keeping your account information and debit/credit cards secure. Click the headings below to browse tips on how you can keep your accounts and cards secure.

Never give out your full financial account information such as credit or checking account numbers on the phone unless you made the call and you know the person or company you are communicating with. Never give this information out to a stranger or anyone claiming to be from the bank.

Never write your driver's license, phone number or Social Security number on any checks.

Be suspicious of any incoming phone calls that are asking for account information or wanting to verify account information. Never give out full account information over the phone.

Be careful to create and use secure PIN numbers and passwords. Try to avoid passwords that can be guessed easily, such as date of birth, parts of your Social Security number, or the names of your spouse or children.

Never put outgoing mail or checks in your mailbox. Always drop outgoing mail that could contain checks in a U.S. Postal Service collection box. Identity thieves will sometimes use home mailboxes to steal financial information that could be used to create counterfeit checks.

Always review your account for unusual or unauthorized activity. If you see something on your statement that doesn't look legitimate, contact your branch or NBT Bank at 800.628.2265 immediately.

Always contact us immediately if you realize that your NBT Bank checks or debit card have been stolen or misplaced. You can call 800.628.2265 to report a lost or stolen card.

If you are traveling somewhere that may not be in the NBT Bank footprint, let us know about your travel plans. NBT Bank deploys fraud monitoring for suspicious card activity, and by alerting us to your plans, you can decrease the chance of charges being declined while traveling. Be sure to call our customer service representatives or use our Debit Card Travel Notification form for easy submission.

When unusual activity on the account attached to your debit card is detected, the SMS Fraud Alert feature will initiate a Text Alert to the mobile phone on record for the account. Respond by text to either approve the transaction, or to indicate that the transaction is fraudulent.