Electronic Funds Awareness & Education

Protections

What protections are provided and not provided by First Federal Bank to our customers relative to electronic funds transfers under Regulation E?

Liability for failure to make online Transfers or Bill Payments. 

If we do not complete a transfer or bill payment to or from your account on time or in the correct amount according to our agreement with you, we will be liable for your losses or damages. However, there are some exceptions. We will not be liable, for instance: 

  1. If, through no fault of ours, you do not have enough money in your account to make the transfer.
  2. If you have an overdraft line and the transfer would go over the credit limit.
  3. If the online system was not working properly and you knew about the breakdown when you started the transfer.
  4. If circumstances beyond our control (such as fire or flood) prevent the transfer, despite reasonable precautions that we have taken.
  5. There may be other exceptions stated in our agreement with you.

Confidentiality

We will disclose information to third parties about your account or the transfers you make: 

  1. where it is necessary for completing transfers; or
  2. in order to verify the existence and condition of your account for a third party, such as a credit bureau or merchant; or
  3. in order to comply with government agency or court orders; or 
  4. if you give us written permission. 

Unauthorized Transfers or Bill Payments

  1. Consumer liability Tell us AT ONCE if you believe that an electronic fund transfer or bill payment has been made without your permission.  Telephoning is the best way of keeping your possible losses down. You could lose all the money in your account (plus your maximum overdraft line of credit).  Also, if your statement shows transfers or bill payments that you did not make by online banking access tell us at once. If you do not tell us within 60 days after the FIRST statement was mailed to you, you may not get back any money you lost if we can prove that we could have stopped someone from taking the money if you had told us in time. If a good reason (such as a long trip or a hospital stay) kept you from telling us, we will extend the time periods.

Error Resolution Notice

In case of Errors or Questions about your Electronic Transfers or Bill Payments, Call or Write us at the telephone number or address listed in this brochure, as soon as you can, if you think your statement or receipt is wrong or if you need more information about a transfer or bill payment listed on the statement or receipt. We must hear from you no later than 60 days after we send the FIRST statement on which the problem or error appeared.

  1. Tell us your name and account number.
  2. Describe the error or the transfer you are unsure about, and explain as clearly as you can why you believe it is an error or why you need more information.
  3. Tell us the dollar amount of the suspected error.

If you tell us orally, we may require that you send us your complaint or question in writing within 10 business days.  We will tell you the results of our investigation within 10 business days (20 business days if the transfer involved a new account) 5 business days for unauthorized check card transactions processed by Visa or MasterCard after we hear from you and will correct any error promptly. If we need more time, however, we may take up to 45 days (90 days if the transfer involved a new account) to investigate your complaint or question. If we decide to do this, we will credit your account within 10 business days (20 business days if the transfer involved a new account). If we ask you to put your complaint or question in writing and we do not receive it within 10 business days, we may not credit your account. An account is considered a new account for 30 days after the first deposit is made, if you are a new customer.  We will send you a written explanation within 3 business days after we finish our investigation. You may request copies of the document that we used in our investigation.

First Federal Bank of Kansas City
Deposit Operations
P.O. BOX 419194, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64141
Business Days: Monday through Friday
Excluding Federal Holidays
Phone: (816) 241-7800

Passwords & Phishing Scam Protection

Under what, if any, circumstances and through what means would First Federal Bank contact a customer on an unsolicited basis and request the customer’s provision of electronic banking credentials?

First Federal will not contact you by mail, phone, or email to inquire or request your electronic banking “Sign On/Login” ID and password.  In the rare case we detect any unusual or uncharacteristic behavior (anything that appears out-of-the-ordinary compared to how you normally would bank online and where you normally bank online) we will attempt to phone or email you by using the phone numbers or an email address you have previously provided to the Bank, and will ask you to answer security questions that you have previously provided to the Bank.  You are responsible for keeping your password, account numbers, and other account data secure and confidential.

How can I avoid becoming the victim of a social engineering or phishing scam?

  • Never give out your personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited phone call, fax or email, no matter how official it may seem.
  • Slow down. Do not react quickly and think later.  Spammers want you to act quickly; do not let their urgency influence your review of the message.
  • Reject offers or requests of help.  Legitimate companies and organizations do not contact you through email to provide help unless you solicit help.  If you would like to donate to an organization seek out a reputable organization on your own to avoid falling for a scam.
  • Do not respond to email that may warn of dire consequences unless you validate your information immediately. Contact the company to confirm the emails validity using a telephone number or Web address you know to be genuine.
  • Check your credit card and bank account statements regularly and look for unauthorized transactions, even small ones. Some thieves hope small transactions will go unnoticed. Report discrepancies immediately.
  • When submitting financial information online, look for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your Internet browser. Also, many secure Internet addresses, though not all use “https”.
  • Beware of any download.  If you don’t know the sender personally and are not expecting a file from them, delete the email immediately and DO NOT download the file.
  • Set your spam filter to high. You can update in your settings options.  Periodically check your spam folder to see if any legitimate email has been accidentally trapped there. 
  • Secure your computing devices.  Install anti-virus software, firewalls and email filters.  Once in place keep them up to date!  Most operating systems allow automatic updates in your settings options. 
Report suspicious activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. If you have responded to an email, contact First Federal Bank immediately so we can protect your account and your identity.

For more information on phishing, download this PDF : 

Fraud Protection by the U.S. Department of the Treasury

What are some alternative risk control mechanisms that customers may consider implementing to mitigate their own risk? or a list of available resources customers may view for alternative risk control mechanisms?

  • Maintain the latest updates of anti-virus software and firewalls to protect your computer.
  • Maintain the latest version of your Internet browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.)
  • Log off of any online session when your session is complete.  Do not leave the session open.
  • Change your passwords every thirty to sixty days.
  • Monitor your account register for unauthorized transactions through online banking regularly.
  • If you receive a suspicious email, do not open it.  Delete it immediately.
  • Never enter personal information in a pop-up screen.  Contact the company and inquire if the request is legitimate.
  • Commercial accounts - perform a related risk assessment and controls evaluation periodically for assigned online banking users for the business.  As owner assign yourself or restrict the assignment of the “Administrator” role to a trusted individual.  If an “Administrator” is assigned or transferred to another position, leaves your employment, or is no longer authorized to use a User ID or password on your behalf that individual’s role as “Administrator” should be removed/deleted.  Periodically review (ex. every 90 days) and determine if the individual(s) that have been assigned the “Administrator” role are still trusted or in a position that still warrants the “Administrator” role.

What website links are available for customers to view for additional risk control mechanisms?

Visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Online

https://www.ftc.gov/

7 Tips for Protecting Yourself Online

Privacy Rights and Debit Cards

To report suspicious account activity or if you experience customer information security-related events contact First Federal Bank at the telephone numbers below:

First Federal Bank main telephone number at 816-241-7800

Deposit Operations Customer Service Representatives at 816-245-4225

First Fed Online Bill Payment Questions at 855-377-7210


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