Home Federal Blog
Debit Card Text Alerts

Notifications Sent Straight To Your Phone

At Home Federal, if we suspect fraudulent activity on your debit card, you will be alerted of the suspected fraudulent activity via text message if we have a cell phone number listed on file for you.

Why Text Alerts

Currently, a vast majority of Americans prefer text messages over phone calls simply due to the convenience of texting. While phone calls are still an effective method of contacting our clients (and will be the second step in our process – see below), statistics show that texting is 10x quicker than phone calls and the quicker we can catch potential fraudulent activity, the better!

“A staggering 95% of text messages are opened by recipients within three minutes of being sent, and the average response time for a text message is 90 seconds.”

What to Expect

Should we suspect possible fraud on your debit card, and we have your cell phone number on file, you’ll receive a text message that will include Home Federal as the originator, information about the suspected activity, and response instructions. If we do not receive a response from you within 15 minutes, we will then follow up with a phone call to your phone number(s) on file.

It is very important that you respond right away to any text or phone call to help minimize additional fraudulent activity on your account (Reminder: Home Federal will never ask for your account information).

If we do not have a cell phone number on file for you, we will call the phone number(s) on file to alert you of any suspected fraudulent activity.

Next Steps

No action is required of you! The transition to sending a text message first to clients will happen automatically for clients with cell phone numbers listed. If you do not have a cell number on file, you will continue to receive phone call alerts when debit card fraud is suspected. If you want to add your cell number to your account, click here for instructions on how to update your contact information.

Additional Fraud Protection Tools

Because protecting your identity is so important, Home Federal offers many fraud protection products and security tips and services. We recommend taking advantage of the following:

• Online & Mobile Banking

  Monitor your accounts from wherever you have internet access, anywhere in the world.

• CardGuard

  Prevent fraudulent activity on your debit card right from your smartphone.

• Mobile Wallets

  A more secure way to pay. (Available for Samsung Pay, Android Pay, and Apple Pay.)

Also, be sure to check out the Security & Fraud Prevention page on our website for additional information and tips to help protect you and your accounts from criminal activity and financial fraud.