Top Cybersecurity Practices to Secure Your Cellphone 

Home Blog Top Cybersecurity Practices to Secure Your Cellphone 

Posted On: August 16, 2022 by Peoples Bank of Kankakee County in: Cybersecurity

We use our mobile devices for just about everything in both our work and personal lives. We browse the internet, use apps, and email daily. It is now more important than ever for us to educate ourselves and actively take steps to ensure our cellphone is secure. Otherwise, we are making ourselves vulnerable to phishing, hacking, and leaking large amounts of valuable data.

Strong Passwords Boost Security

Begin securing your phone with that crucially strong password. A strong password should be unique, nothing shorter that 15 characters, and combine upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. Fingerprints, facial recognition, or eye recognition will strengthen security. It is wise to also have your apps password protected to add another layer of security. 

Another security booster is two-factor authentication. With two-factor authentication, you will first enter a password. Next you will receive a code via email or text message to enter for account access. This is a great option for apps you use less frequently or apps that store large amounts of personal data.

Avoid Public Wi-Fi Networks

We all enjoy the convenience of internet connection wherever we go. Unfortunately, it is a good practice to avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. These open networks bring many threats to your device because they are visible to anyone on that network. If you absolutely must have internet access, utilize your data plan, or install a VPN to keep your phone secure and hidden from open networks.

Important Reminder: Is your home internet or hotspot password protected? If not, stop and do it now! 

Update Your Applications and Devices

It is a good cybersecurity practice to update your applications and device software often. If you get a notification something needs an update, do it as soon as possible. When you install an application, read through the user permissions to know what it needs access to. Only give permissions when you are running the app, not always. If there is an app you are not using, be sure to close it, shut off those permissions, or delete the app altogether. If you don’t intend to use the app for video or photos but it asks for it, this may be a red flag. This may be a good app to avoid.

We all depend greatly on our mobile devices. Therefore, it is important we have good practices in place to combat cyber threats. Incorporate these tips or use them as a checklist to ensure your device and data are secure. 

An overdraft occurs when you do not have enough money in your account to cover a transaction, but we pay it anyway. We can cover your overdrafts in two different ways:

We have standard overdraft practices that are available after your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing.
We also offer an overdraft protection plan, Overdraft Protection Sweep, a link to a savings account. It may be less expensive than our standard overdraft practices. To learn more, ask us about this plan.

This notice explains our standard overdraft practices.

What are the standard overdraft practices that come with my account?

After your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing, we do authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions:

Checks and other transactions made using your checking account number
Automatic bill payments

We do not authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions unless you ask us to (see below):

ATM transactions
Everyday debit card transactions

We pay overdrafts at our discretion, which means we do not guarantee that we will always authorize and pay any type of transaction.

If we do not authorize and pay an overdraft, your transaction will be declined.

What fees will I be charged if Peoples Bank of Kankakee County pays my overdraft?

Under our standard overdraft practices:

We will charge you a fee of up to $30 each time we pay an overdraft.
The maximum daily overdraft fee per presentment or item paid using the Overdraft Reserve Program is $150.00 per day.
No per item handling fee will be charged on de minimis overdrafts. De minimis overdraft for this policy means transactions that overdraw your account by $30 or less.
There is an overdraft fee of $5 per day that will be charged beginning the 4th consecutive business day your account is overdrawn.

Nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees - if an item drafted by you (such as a check) or a transaction you set up (such as a preauthorized transfer) is presented for payment in an amount that is more than the amount of money in your account and we decide not to pay the item or transaction, you agree that we can charge you an NSF fee for returning the payment. Be aware that such an item or payment may be presented multiple times by the merchant or other payee until it is paid, and that we do not monitor or control the number of times a transaction is presented for payment. You agree that we may charge you an NSF fee each time a payment is presented if the amount of money in your account is not sufficient to cover the payment, regardless of the number of times the payment is presented.

PAYMENT ORDER OF ITEMS - The law permits us to pay items drawn on your account in any order (for purposes of this section "items" means checks, orders and electronic transactions). To assist you in handling your account with us, we are providing you with the following information regarding how we process those items. When processing checks and orders drawn on your account our policy is to pay lower numbered checks and orders in numerical sequence, but electronic transactions are paid first in the order received. The order in which items are paid is important if there is not enough money in your account to pay all of the items that are presented. There is no policy that is favorable in every instance. If the smallest items are paid first, you may have fewer NSF or overdraft fees, but the largest, and perhaps more important items (such as rent or mortgage payments) might not be paid. However, if the largest items are paid first, your most important items might be paid but it may increase the overdraft or NSF fees if funds are not available to pay all of the items. We think our policy attains a reasonable balance between minimizing additional costs to you and paying your more important items. We encourage you to make careful records and practice good account management. This will help you to avoid creating items without sufficient funds and incurring the resulting fees.

What if I want Peoples Bank of Kankakee County to authorize and pay overdrafts on my ATM and everyday debit card transactions?

If you also want us to authorize and pay overdrafts on ATM and everyday debit card transactions after your account has been open for 30 days, you may opt in.

You have an ongoing right to change this consent at any time. If your overdraft privilege has been revoked for any reason, the opt-in or opt-out selection may not apply. Please contact your nearest office for more information.

Alternate ways to Opt In/Out or make changes:

By Phone. Our Customer Care Representatives can be reached at 815-936-7600.
By Mail. Peoples Bank of Kankakee County, 333 E. Court Street, Kankakee, IL 60901
In Person. Please visit your local office and ask a representative to help you decide which plan is best for you.