As COVID restrictions ease, many people are planning Memorial Day and other summer vacations. Guess who’s not taking a vacation, but instead looking to ruin yours by scamming you out of money? Criminals!

Here are a few simple but effective precautions to protect you while enjoying the long weekend:

• If you stop at the ATM, protect your transaction.
  • Before inserting your card, pull firmly on the card reader to make sure there aren’t any overlays. Fraudsters install overlay devices on top of ATM equipment to capture your card’s magnetic stripe data. They’re usually loose and will pull off easily. If this happens, take the overlay into the institution and report what you’ve found.
  • To help keep your PIN secure, use your hand to shield your PIN entry. Fraudsters install mini cameras that look like part of the actual ATM to spy on your PIN entry. Your hand is an effective block.
  • Follow these same steps when shopping at stores and using a POS device. Don’t assume the clerk is watching the POS device. They’re busy doing their job, and fraudsters know this. Those same overlay devices can be installed on a POS terminal in a matter of seconds. Don’t hesitate to give it a tug.
• To ensure the safest shopping experience online, be sure the web address starts with https. The “s” stands for secure. Also look for a padlock icon, which is usually found in the bar at the top of the screen, next to the web address.
• Turn off the autocomplete settings in your browser so your card data and personal information aren’t being stored. While it’s very convenient, it’s not a best practice.
• Log out of your account once you’re finished using online banking or the CB Mobile app.
• Monitor your transactions and report any discrepancies. Fraud-fighting apps like SHAZAM’s Brella^® alert cardholders immediately about potentially fraudulent activity, allowing them to block or unblock their own cards. If you don’t have this type of app, call the number on the back of your CB debit card to report any account concerns.
• Implement notifi alerts offered by Citizens Bank & Trust Co. This feature is available in online banking and in the CB Mobile app. To protect your account from theft, set alerts so you’re notified when transactions are made.

• Before you travel, use your SHAZAM Brella app to set travel alerts. Many debit and credit cards are set to decline transactions when they’re outside of your typical geographic location. While this is for your safety, valid transactions may be declined based on location.

As the use of card and mobile payments increases, protecting personal information becomes even more essential. Keep your card in a safe place.

Source: Ryan Dutton, Fraud Strategy Manager at Shazam Inc., Shazam Blog Post ‘As you take a vacation, remember that criminals don’t take time off. Secure your data.’

In honor of all who have served, our bank will be closed Monday, May 31st.

We would like to congratulate Deb Froemming, Personal Banking Officer, on achieving a very special milestone – 20 years with Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Deb has been an employee of Citizens Bank since 2001 and held various positions including Teller, Personal Banking Loan Representative and in 2019 was promoted to Personal Banking Officer. She currently serves as a member of the Bank’s Compliance Committee.

Deb is a founding member of Hutchinson Area Women of Today where she currently serves as President, and on the Minnesota Women of Today District 5 board and MNWT marketing committee. She has also served on the RiverSong Music Festival Hospitality committee, and is an alumni of the Hutchinson Leadership Institute and McLeod for Tomorrow.

Deb and her husband, Dean, live in rural Hutchinson. They have a son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Jordyn Froemming, daughter and son-in-law, Jenny and Tyler Braathen, a granddaughter, Valentine, and are expecting a grandson this fall.

Congratulations to Deb on this fantastic achievement – you are a very valued member of the CB Team!

We would like to announce the hiring of the following employees:

SARAH DUEHN — Sarah has been hired as a full-time Teller at our South Bank. Sarah is a graduate of Hutchinson High School. Her interests include spending time with family, cooking, shopping and traveling. She also enjoys the outdoors by walking and biking.

EMILY OLSON — Emily has been hired as a full-time Teller in our Downtown Office. She is a graduate of Hutchinson High School and taking online classes through Bemidji State University where she is a junior seeking a degree in Business Finance. She plans to start their accelerated MBA Program this coming fall. Her hobbies include deer hunting up north and fishing year around with her family.

SAMUEL HANSON — Sam is currently a sophomore at Hutchinson High School where he participates in football, baseball and HOSA. His future goals are to attend college in a Health Care related field. Sam likes hanging out with friends and is active with Faith Lutheran’s Youth Group.

Anytime is the right time to begin teaching your children about money. Here are some tips that can help parents teach money at home.

• Talk openly about money with your kids and communicate your values and experiences with money. Encourage them to ask questions.
• Explain the difference between needs and wants, the value in saving and budgeting and the consequences of not doing so.
• Set up a chore chart and give your children an allowance for completing their tasks. Require them to save at least a small portion each week. The three jars method, one for spending, one for saving and one for charitable contributions is a good way to impart a sense of responsibility.
• Open up a Little Tigers savings account at your at Citizens Bank & Trust Co. for your children. Bring them with you to make deposits. Have them cash in their change from their piggy bank and deposit it into their savings account.
• Teach them that they may have to wait to buy something they want. Have your child set a goal to buy a toy or treat. Every time they add money to their piggy bank or savings account, help them count how much money they have and how much more they will need to purchase their toy or treat.

Please contact a customer service representative today to open up a Little Tiger Savings Account.

Citizens Bank & Trust Co. would like to announce the following promotions:

Emily Markgraf — Emily has been promoted to Customer Service Representative. She started in March 2019 as a part-time Teller, moving up to full-time Teller in June 2019. She is a graduate of Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart High School. Emily enjoys outdoor activities including hunting, fishing and sports.

Katelyn Witte — Katelyn has been promoted to Commercial/Ag Loan Administrator. Katelyn started with CB in 2020 as a Customer Service Representative. She is a graduate of South Dakota State University with a degree in Ag Business. Katelyn is newly married and enjoys crafting and spending time outdoors with her husband, Nick.

Citizens Bank & Trust Co. announced that Mandy M. Baldry has been promoted to Vice President.

Baldry joined Citizens Bank as a Teller in 1999.  She was promoted to Consumer Loan Administrator Assistant in 2001, Consumer Loan Representative in 2006, Personal Banking Officer in 2011, Commercial Loan Officer/Credit Analyst in 2013 and Assistant Vice President in 2019. Mandy also serves as a member of the Bank’s Marketing and Credit Committee.

Mandy is a member of the Think Local Committee, Tim Orth Memorial Foundation Committee and Hutchinson Area Dollars for Scholars Committee.  She has also served on the Minnesota Pottery Festival Committee, Hutchinson Hockey Association Board, Hutchinson Jaycee Water Carnival Committee and has volunteered for Junior Achievement.

Baldry is a graduate of Ridgewater College.  Mandy and her husband, Nate reside in Hutchinson with their three children, Jackson, Cora and Lucy.