Privacy & Security

At Farmers & Merchants Bank we are dedicated to helping you protect your identity. We understand the importance of maintaining the security of your personal information when managing your finances online. We want to help guard against the disclosure of your information that could possibly lead to identity theft. We use the maximum levels of online security and technology to protect your personal information and keep it confidential. Farmers & Merchants Bank does not contact our customers by phone, email or mail to verify, request or change security information like passwords or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). Do not give personal information such as your account numbers or Social Security number to anyone you have not personally contacted.

Identity theft can happen in a wide variety of ways: 

• Mail theft
• Phishing (the request of confidential information over the Internet in order to fraudulently obtain credit card numbers, passwords or other personal information)
• Spyware (software that is designed to take control of a computer's operation without the knowledge of its user)
• Loss or theft of purse or wallet
• "Dumpster diving" (information taken from discarded personal information, such as a bank statement, in the trash)
• Fraudulent phone calls (stranger calls to ask for personal or financial information)

 Ways to help prevent identity theft:

• Shred old account statements, ATM receipts and any other documents containing your account information
• Keep checks, credit and ATM cards, birth certificate, Social Security card and account numbers in a secure location
• Do not give out any personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call
• Look for monthly bills or statements that are not delivered; Stolen mail is one way personal information is acquired
• Monitor your accounts regularly to check for unauthorized activity
• Do not write or keep PINs near credit, debit or ATM cards
• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software to help protect your information on the computer

• Create strong passwords that are different for each Web site you visit and that do not contain obvious information such as the names of a family members or pets, an address, date of birth or Social Security number

For questions concerning Farmers & Merchants Bank credit cards, through Palos Bank, please contact (800) 914-5251.

For questions concerning Star Network ATM or Visa Debit Cards, please contact (800) 523-4175.