Security and Privacy
BankDirect Security
BankDirect delivers secure consumer Internet banking with a wide range of powerful features and functions to satisfy your online transaction requirements.
Behind the scenes, we analyze and filter login attempts from suspicious sources, proactively blocking them before they ever get to a login screen and preventing them from attempting fraudulent logins.
We prompt you to create a unique username and password when you first access your account, and always require an additional authentication factor to log in. This extra layer of security works to keep your account safe, even if someone else gets access to your username and password.
We provide the ability for you to configure text, email and secure online notifications to inform you in real time about transactions and events that could have a security or fraud impact on your Texas Capital Bank accounts. You can set these alerts up in the "Settings" section of the online banking portal.
We provide a secure, encrypted messaging system you can use to discuss your accounts with our associates once you're logged in to the online banking portal. We recommend you use this service for all online communications about your accounts, and as a reminder: We will never ask for confidential information like usernames, passwords or account numbers via email.
Our dedicated fraud protection and security team is made up of former law enforcement, Certified Fraud Examiners and IT security professionals. Together, they are experienced in proactively identifying and acting on fraudulent occurrences as well as providing counsel and advice.
Fraud Prevention
As a customer of BankDirect, the security of your personal and account information is extremely important to us. By practicing good security habits, you can ensure that your private information is protected.
Identity theft and account fraud are crimes committed when someone steals personal information such as your bank account number or Social Security number. Then, the fraudster poses as you, takes funds from your account or accrues debt in your name.
To better protect yourself against identity theft and account fraud:
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Don't give out your account numbers or your Social Security number over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know whom you are dealing with.
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Report lost or stolen checks immediately. Promptly review all checks when you receive new deliveries of checks to be sure none have been stolen in transit.
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Store canceled checks — and new checks — in a safe place.
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Notify financial institutions immediately if you receive a suspicious phone call from someone purporting to represent the institution and asking for account information "to verify a statement" or "award a prize." Call the client support number listed on your statement if you receive this kind of call from someone who says they represent your bank.
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Guard your ATM personal identification number (PIN) and all ATM receipts.
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Before throwing away, tear up all financial solicitations you receive in the mail. Do the same for all other financial statements, invoices or ATM receipts you wish to discard. A small personal shredder is a good device to have to help with destroying financial documents rather than throwing them in the trash.
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Do not put outgoing mail in your mailbox. All mail should be dropped in a secure Postal Service collection box. Thieves may use your mail to steal your identity.
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If regular bills fail to reach you, contact those companies to find out why. Someone may have filed a false change-of-address form to divert your information to their address.
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If bills include suspicious items, investigate promptly to head off possible fraud before it occurs.
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Periodically contact the major credit reporting agencies to review your credit file and be sure all information is correct. For a small fee, you can obtain a copy of your credit report at any time. Contact the agencies at the numbers listed below:
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Equifax 800.685.1111
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Experian 888.397.3742
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TransUnion 800.916.8800
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If you suspect account fraud, please immediately follow these steps:
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Contact all financial institutions with which you have accounts, including all credit card issuers. Be sure to include specific retail charge cards as well. You may contact BankDirect at 1-877-839-2737.
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Contact the major check verification companies to request that retailers using their databases be notified not to accept the stolen checks. You may contact these companies at the numbers listed below:
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Telecheck 800-710-9898
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International Check Services 800-631-9656
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Equifax 800-437-5120
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File a police report with your local police department.
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Contact the three major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report. Review your reports for any additional fraudulent activity. Request a "fraud alert" for your file and a victim's statement asking creditors to call you before opening any new accounts or changing existing ones.
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Watch for stolen mail. If you suspect that any mail is not being delivered to you, confirm with the sender and contact your local post office and police.
Keep written records of the incident. Include what happened, what was lost or stolen and what steps you took to report the incident to law enforcement and the various agencies, banks and firms involved. Be sure to include the date, time, telephone numbers called, who you spoke to and any other relevant information.
A common type of fraud is check fraud. This can occur by the fraudster obtaining only an account number and simply creating counterfeit checks to fit a particular con scheme. Fraudsters will find individuals online who later fall victim to the fraud scheme without realizing their involvement. The individual is given instructions along with a check that contains the account information. The instructions normally request the individual to negotiate the item at a financial institution, then wire the funds to a different account, typically belonging to the fraudster using other people’s identifying information to mask the fraudster's identity.
A good preventive measure is to review your accounts daily for potential fraudulent transactions. In the event there is confirmed fraud, immediately report the transaction to the bank.
As a customer of BankDirect, the security of your personal and account information is extremely important to us. By practicing good security habits, you can ensure that your private information is protected. Recently, identity thieves have been sending bogus emails to trick customers into divulging personal or financial information. Many of the emails feature authentic company logos and trademark language. In addition, the links in these emails direct you to websites that are exact copies of the legitimate bank website.
Important: BankDirect will never ask for your access ID or password via email.
We do not send out emails requesting personal information. If you receive an email requesting such information, do not respond. If you have already responded, please notify us immediately by calling our Client Support at 1.877.839.2737.
If you need to contact us online, you may do so through our secure website by logging in to bankdirect.com.
Helpful Security Tips:
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Never disclose ANY personal identifying information if requested via an unsolicited email or phone call. This includes:
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Account numbers or credit card numbers
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Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) or passwords
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Social Security number
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Mother's maiden name
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Other private information
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Never reveal your PIN to anyone, including BankDirect employees.
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Change your PIN frequently by calling the Client Support Center at 1.877.839.2737.
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Store your card number and PIN separately, and never write your PIN on your card.
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If you use BankDirect online banking, log out when finished and close your browser before leaving your computer.
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Never leave your computer unattended during a BankDirect online banking session.
Be wary of any email asking you to log into BankDirect online banking if it does not link to the official BankDirect online banking site at bankdirect.com. Also, be suspicious if you are asked to enter any personal identifying information into an unexpected pop-up window even if it looks official.
Call 1.877.839.2737 if you have any questions regarding emails or phone calls soliciting information about your BankDirect account(s).
Email Account Compromise (EAC) is a type of cyber crime that targets individuals. The scam is frequently carried out when someone compromises a legitimate individual’s email account through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques, resulting in an unauthorized transfer of funds.
How to Avoid It
- Enable multi-factor authentication for all email accounts
- Do not click on anything unsolicited via email or text
- Verify all payment changes and transactions in person or from a known telephone number
- Use caution when downloading links and attachments
How to Report Fraudulent Activity
- Contact your financial institution immediately
- Report the fraud to your local law enforcement agency
- File a complaint with the FBI Internet Crimes Complaint Center IC3: https://www.ic3.gov/
The responsibility of selecting a strong password, one that is hard to guess, generally falls to each individual.
For example, if you choose a one-character password, any uppercase letter, lowercase letter or digit, there would be 62 possible passwords. Clearly, a would-be hacker could try all 62 possibilities very quickly.
It's important to note that even though a password is long, it does not necessarily mean it is secure. For example, you might choose a long password based on something you know — like your spouse's name, child's name or some dictionary word. If you do this, then instead of trying 218 trillion passwords, this hacker could probably guess your password after a few thousand attempts. If they use a computer program to guess passwords, this will only take them a few minutes.
To decrease the chances of anyone ever guessing your password, you must select a hard-to-guess or strong password. A strong password must:
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Be as long as possible (never shorter than 6 characters, 8 or more characters is strongly recommended)
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Include mixed-case letters, if possible
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Include digits and punctuation marks, if possible
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Not be based on any personal information
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Not be based on any dictionary word, in any language
No matter how many strength rules you use, though, the persistent hacker will eventually guess your password given enough time. Thus, you must also:
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Change your password regularly (ideally once a month) in order to limit the amount of time available for hackers to guess it
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Do not use the same password twice
Never divulge your password to anyone. There are numerous ruses out there designed to get you to give a would-be hacker your password. Don't do it!
BankDirect will not authorize any transaction originated internationally unless you have contacted us to request us to do so. If you plan to travel outside the United States or initiate a transaction with a vendor outside the United States, please contact Client Support at 1.877.839.2737 to temporarily authorize your Visa® CheckCard and/or ATM card to allow those transactions.
When traveling abroad, always:
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Safeguard your card
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Keep your Visa® debit card or ATM card in a safe place at all times
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Protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN)
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Do not write your PIN on your debit card or ATM Card
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Know your daily cash withdrawal limit
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Minimize your transactions
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Fewer transactions will reduce your exposure to fraud and fees
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Retain your receipts
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Retain the receipts of your transactions so you can reconcile your account when your statement arrives
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Remember, to advise us of your travel plans or if you suspect unusual transactions on your account, please contact Client Support immediately at 1.877.839.2737.
When an imposter co-opts your name, your Social Security number (SSN), your credit card number or some other piece of your personal information for their use — in short, when someone appropriates your personal information without your knowledge — it's a crime, pure and simple.
The biggest problem? You may not know your identity has been stolen until you notice that something's amiss: You may get bills for a credit card account you never opened, your credit report may include debts you never knew you had, a billing cycle may pass without your receiving a statement or you may see charges on your bills that you didn't sign for, didn't authorize and don't know anything about.
First things first
If someone has stolen your identity, the Federal Trade Commission recommends that you take three actions immediately.
First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them to flag your file with a fraud alert, including a statement that creditors should get your permission before opening any new accounts in your name.
At the same time, ask the credit bureaus for copies of your credit reports. Credit bureaus must give you a free copy of your report if it is inaccurate because of fraud. Review your reports carefully to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts. In a few months, order new copies of your reports to verify your corrections and changes, and to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
| Report fraud | order credit report | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equifax | 800.525.6285 | 800.685.1111 | www.equifax.com |
| Experian | 888.EXPERIAN (888.397.3742) |
888.EXPERIAN (888.397.3742) |
www.experian.com |
| TransUnion | 800.680.7289 | 800.916.8800 | www.tuc.com |
Second, contact the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Ask to speak with someone in the security or fraud department, and follow up in writing. Following up with a letter is one of the procedures spelled out in the Fair Credit Billing Act for resolving errors on credit billing statements, including charges that you have not made.
Third, file a report with your local police or the police in the community where the fraud took place. Keep a copy in case your creditors need proof of the crime.
Next, take control
Although identity thieves can wreak havoc on your personal finances, there are some things you can do to take control of the situation. Here's how to handle some of the most common forms of identity theft.
If an identity thief has stolen your mail for access to new credit cards, bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers and tax information or falsified change-of-address forms, (s)he has committed a crime. Report it to your local postal inspector.
If you discover that an identity thief has changed the billing address on an existing credit card account, close the account. When you open a new account, ask that a password be used before any inquiries or changes can be made on the account. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number or a series of consecutive numbers. Avoid the same information and numbers when you create a Personal Identification Number (PIN).
If you have reason to believe that an identity thief has accessed your bank accounts, checking account or ATM card, close the accounts immediately. When you open new accounts, insist on password-only access. If your checks have been stolen or misused, stop payment. If your ATM card has been lost, stolen or otherwise compromised, cancel the card and get another with a new PIN.
If an identity thief has established new phone or wireless service in your name and is making unauthorized calls that appear to come from — and are billed to — your cellular phone, contact your service provider immediately to cancel the account. Get new accounts and new PINs.
If it appears that someone is using your SSN when applying for a job, get in touch with the Social Security Administration to verify the accuracy of your reported earnings and that your name is reported correctly. Call 1.800.772.1213 to check your Social Security statement.
In addition, the SSA may issue you a new SSN at your request if, after trying to resolve the problems brought on by identity theft, you continue to experience problems. Consider this option carefully. A new SSN may not resolve your identity theft problems, and may actually create new problems. For example, a new SSN does not necessarily ensure a new credit record because credit bureaus may combine the credit records from your old SSN with those from your new SSN. Even when the old credit information is not associated with your new SSN, the absence of any credit history under your new SSN may make it more difficult for you to get credit. And finally, there's no guarantee that a new SSN wouldn't also be misused by an identity thief.
If you suspect that your name or SSN is being used by an identity thief to get a driver's license, report it to your Department of Motor Vehicles. Also, if your state uses your SSN as your driver's license number, ask to substitute another number.
Stay alert
Taking the steps outlined here should, in most cases, resolve your identity theft problems, but identity theft or related credit problems may reoccur. Stay alert to new instances of identity theft. Notify the company or creditor that's involved immediately. Follow up in writing.
Order a copy of your credit report from the three credit bureaus every year to check on their accuracy and whether they include only those debts and loans you've incurred. This could be very important if you're considering a major purchase, such as a house or a car. A credit bureau may charge you a fee for a copy of your report.