News & Alerts

There’s no shortage of ways your private information can end up being exposed. But when it comes to fighting fraud, you’re not alone. Enroll in your free security alerts today, a new service for all personal checking account holders who use their Planters First Bank Discover Debit card. These benefits include: Dark Web Monitoring —Scans the dark web and notifies you if your personal information has been exposed. Credit Monitoring —Detects and alerts you of suspicious...

Planters First Bank announced its commitment to Data Privacy Week by registering as a Champion. As a Champion, Planters First Bank recognizes and supports the principle that all organizations share the responsibility of being conscientious stewards of personal information. Data Privacy Week is an expanded effort from Data Privacy Day -- taking place annually from January 24 - 28 -- that generates awareness about the importance of privacy, highlights easy ways to protect personal...

Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent emails, texts, and calls from scammers pretending to be their bank. Add to that this time of expanded use of online banking and the busy holiday shopping season, and the problem is only growing worse. It’s time to put scammers in their place! Online scams aren’t so scary when you know what to look for. And at Planters First Bank, we’re committed to helping you spot them as an extra layer of protection for your account....

Can You Spot a Phishing Scam? Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent emails, texts and calls from scammers pretending to be their bank. And in this time of expanded use of online banking, the problem is only growing worse. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission’s report on fraud estimates that American consumers lost a staggering $3.3 billion to these phishing schemes and other fraud in 2020—that’s nearly double what was lost in 2019. It’s time to put scammers...

September may be back to school for many families, but did you know it’s also College Savings Month? If you haven’t started saving for college yet, this is a great time to start and make a game plan. Why Save for College? Saving for college reduces student loan debt. Every dollar you save is about a dollar less your child will have to borrow. Every dollar you borrow will cost about two dollars by the time you repay the debt. College savings increases flexibility in...

Since 1840, each February legendary weather forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his winter burrow in Pennsylvania. If it's a sunny day and he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. But, if it's a cloudy day and Phil does not see his shadow, an early spring is on the way. This strange holiday inspired a 1993 rom-com film about a TV weather reporter named Phil (played by actor Bill Murray) who gets trapped in a time warp and has to unbearably...

Planters Bank announced its commitment to Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held annually in October, by signing up as a Champion and joining a growing global effort to promote the awareness of online safety and privacy. The Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champions Program is a collaborative effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, associations, nonprofit organizations, and individuals committed to this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month theme of ‘Do Your...

A compilation of tips and recommendations from Planters First Bank and its partners on ways to stay safe online, as well as how to avoid cyber threats and scams during this pandemic. Avoiding Cyber Threats and Scams: FTC: Coronavirus: Scammers follow the headlines FTC & FDA: Tips for Avoiding Coronavirus Scams FTC & FDA: Coronavirus Scams, Part 2 FTC: Beware of Census 2020 Scams! ESET: Beware Scams Exploiting Coronavirus Fears Security Tips for Remote Workers:...

It can be a bit overwhelming to understand all of the terms you’ll hear tossed about regarding cybersecurity. Just a few include malware, ransomware, phishing, worm, and many more. So while we can’t explain all things cybersecurity in this article, our goal here is to give you an overview of many of the more common terms. Malware – This includes viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses. These are software programs that infect your machine and carry malicious codes to destroy the data on...

Personal finance is as important as ever these days! We’d like to share the three top tips for dealing with taxes, loans, and credit cards. Taxes: Plan. Find a really good accountant or when you file with a tax preparer, they should have great info for how to best manage your taxes for the next year. Conduct personal finance planning meetings to evaluate changes in your life. (baby, college, retirement) Loans: Pay it off! Simple, but true. Debt is only good if you’re looking to...

Text messages are becoming the primary way for people to interact with businesses, in fact, texting is the single most used feature on a smartphone. Today's scammers have taken to targeting victims via Short Message Service (SMS) text message scams in addition to traditional email-based phishing attacks. SMS Phishing, or Smishing, is becoming a common method to steal data or install malware on your smartphone. Most phishing scams try to take advantage of natural human emotions of fear or...