INFORMATION
INFORMATION
Consumer alert
Secure online banking
The rapid expansion of the Internet has revolutionized the way we work and deal with our customers. Customers can now complete their banking online at their own convenience, 24 hours a day.
While we do our utmost to ensure the security and confidentiality of our online banking systems and technology, there are steps you need to take as well to ensure your security when using the Internet and when conducting banking online.
At Citibank information security & protection of our customers are of paramount importance. Please take the time to find out what you can do to protect yourself against these risks and understand your roles & obligations with respect to online banking.
Check if the address in the address bar of your browser starts with: https://www.production.citibank.com.bh
Check certificates which protect this site. In order to do it click on the "yellow padlock" icon in the bottom bar of your browser.
Use "firewall" programs and anti-virus software, which protect your computer against attacks via the Internet.
Change your password regularly. If you suspect that someone could get to know your password, change it immediately.
"Phishing" is an internet scam whereby fraudsters send messages via e.g. e-mail, SMS, messaging apps (Whatsapp, Messenger) with the intention to collect critical personal and financial information. These "phishing" messages look genuine and appear to be coming from a legitimate bank or various institutions (e.g. telecommunication companies). They always contain a link to a "spoofed" website asking you to provide an update or confirm sensitive personal information and / or contain a warning stating that your account / card has been suspended or will be suspended and that you need to visit a "secure" link to activate or restore your account / card.
- Username and Password or PIN
- Credit card validation (CCV) code
- Debit Card / Credit Card number
- Bank Account number
Even if you do not provide what they ask for, simply clicking the link could subject you to background installations of key logging software or viruses.
Key logging is another method to capture your personal information. Here's how it works. You click on a link to a website or open an attachment that secretly installs software on your computer. Once installed, it records everything you type, including any User name, Password and account or personal information. Fraudsters know how to retrieve this information, or even set it up to automatically have it sent back to them! This is a very real risk when using public or shared computers such as those in Internet cafes.
Although there's no foolproof formula for spotting a spoof e-mail or web site, these signs should arouse your suspicion.
- There may be a sense of urgency in the email with messages like
- "For security and maintenance of your account"
- "For investigation of irregularities.",
- "Your account has been frozen",
- "Your credit card has been cancelled" or even
- "You have a large sum of money in your account, please verify the withdrawals."
This is intended to increase the likelihood of you clicking on the hyperlink to sign on or complete a set of questions.
- There are embedded links that look legitimate because they contain all or part of the real company's name.
- There may be obvious spelling errors. These help phishing emails avoid the spam filters that most Internet Service Providers use.
Citibank will never send you an email asking for your confidential or sensitive information like Username, Password, PIN, Mothers maiden name, Date of Birth.
- To access your account at Citibank Online always type www.citibank.bh directly in the address bar of your browser.
- DO NOT click on any link contained in emails even if it claims to take you to your account at Citibank Online as the underlying hyperlink could lead to a malicious site.
- If you receive an email claiming to be from Citibank asking for your financial or confidential information or stating that your account has been suspended, do not respond. Forward the email to spoof@citicorp.com and then delete it from your inbox.
- Do not send sensitive personal or financial information unless it is encrypted on a secure website. Regular e-mails are not encrypted.
- In case you have inadvertently clicked on a link or responded to an email providing confidential information, please call our 24-hour Citiphone Banking Service at +973 1758 2484 immediately. Ensure to forthwith re-set your Citibank Online User Name, Password and ATM PIN/TPIN.
- Ensure to keep your PC / Smartphone updated with latest Operating system patches and security software from a trusted vendor (Antivirus, Anti malware and Anti spyware).
- Never download and install untrusted software as these may place key-loggers/malware on your PC/Smartphone which can capture all information that you type and send it to a hacker.
- Be careful when you use a PC at a public place or one not having the latest security software.
- Always log off by clicking on the "Log Out" / "Sign Out" icon on the Citibank Online website.
- Never store your password or account/card information on paper or electronically on word, excel or text documents. Always keep your PC/Smartphone protected with a password/PIN.
- When creating passwords, try and use a mixture of letters and numbers and do not use personal information, such as date of birth or mother’s maiden name.
- Never reply to emails that request your personal information and do not open emails from senders you do not recognize.
Should you require further assistance, please call our 24-hour CitiPhone Banking Service on +973 1758 2484 and a CitiPhone Representative will be glad to assist you.
Protecting our customers and providing a secure online banking experience is top priority at Citibank. We have implemented the best available security solutions & technology to ensure that all of our customers' online transactions are safe and secure.
128 Bit Encryption
All data sent to and from Citibank is "scrambled" and "reassembled" between Citibank and your personal computer using 128-bit encryption, the highest level of encryption commercially available.
Secure Online Banking
We consider the security of our customer’s personal data a top priority here at Citi. In light of this, our new internet banking system has enhanced security measures. Along the simplified sign on method, our innovations follow our customers’ needs and the market trends.
Sign On - You will need to enter your registered User ID and Password using the Keyboard (No virtual/on Screen Keypad) this is part of the new system upgrade for your own convenience.
One Time Password - When you perform certain actions, such as activating your card, adding new payee, viewing your E-Statement. Citibank Online will now ask you to enter a One Time Password. This password will be sent via SMS to your primary mobile number registered on our records allowing you to complete your request.
Ethical Hacking of new functionality / service
Any new functionality / Service that is introduced on Citibank Online undergoes a hacking test, what this means is that we try and break into our own creation using latest tools and only when it passes the most stringent of tests, is a Service introduced for you.
Automatic Time Out
When there is no activity for 6 minutes, Citibank Online will display a warning message, and upon no activity within one minute, customer's secured Citibank Online session will terminate to help protect against unauthorized access.
Strict Protection of Customer Information
Citibank has strict standards of security and confidentiality to safeguard the confidentiality of customer information. Regular audits are conducted internally to uphold these standards.
Adherence to Regulatory Standards
We abide by all information security and online banking regulations set by the authorities both here in Bahrain and in the U.S., with regular audits conducted to ensure compliance.
With the above steps taken, customers can be assured of the online security that Citibank offers and should not hesitate to use our 24x7, convenient online banking services to conduct their financial transactions.
- Citibank is committed to offering our customers the highest level of support possible.
- If you suspect that there has been any un-authorized breach of your Account(s) online, or that an online transaction has taken place that you did not initiate, you should notify Citibank immediately by calling CitiPhone Banking at +973 1758 2484.
- Security incidents will be escalated to our technical support staff for evaluation. If any breach of security appears to have occurred, the bank will investigate it further.
- Citibank will provide you an interim update of our investigations and the status of your case. Final resolution of any incident, though, will depend on the nature and complexity of the incident, as well as the details surrounding the case.
- While we investigate, our officers may ask you to provide more details surrounding the incident to allow us to resolve your case as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Only the authorized signers on an account, using their Citibank Online Username and password, will be able to access the account. It's important to remember that your Debit/Credit Card is valuable and that you exercise care with it. Never lend your card to anyone and never accept advice from strangers while you are using it. Also, be sure to keep your PIN to yourself. This code is an important means of protection for you. Never write it down anywhere.
A Cookie is a small piece of information that an Internet site sends to your browser to hold onto until it is time to read it. Computers other than those on the Internet can also send Cookies. Cookies can contain expiration dates and specific instructions on which web sites can read them.
Citibank uses Cookie technology as a means to store only the user profiles you create to connect to Citibank Online. This information is stored on your computer's hard drive and is encrypted to prevent an unauthorized party from accessing that information.Under no circumstances does Citibank store your Personal Identification Number (PIN) locally on your computer. Account Holders need to enter a PIN each time they attempt to connect to Citibank Online.
While cookies are not required to log into Citibank Online, Citibank recommends you modify your browser settings to accept cookies in order to save your user profile.
Encryption technology helps provide secure transmission of information along the Internet by encoding the transmitted data using a mathematical formula to scramble the data. Without a corresponding "decoder," the transmission would look like jumbled text and would be unusable.
Encryption technology can be used for a host of applications, including electronic commerce (sending credit card numbers for orders or transmitting account information), e-mail messages and sensitive documents.
Basic encryption involves the transmission of data from one party to another. The sender encodes the data by scrambling it, and then sends it on. The receiver must decode the data with the correct "decoder" in order to read and use it.
The effectiveness (or level of security) for encryption is measured in terms of how long the key is -- the longer the key, the longer it would take for someone without the correct "decoder" to break the code. This is measured in bits (e.g., 40-bit encryption, the level of encryption used with many browsers, versus 128-bit encryption, the level of encryption required to use Citibank Online).
128 bit-encrypted messages are over 309,485,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times harder to break than 40-bit messages.
All financial transactions are secured using 128-bit encryption, which is currently the strongest available for commercial use. In case your browser supports a lower level of encryption we suggest you upgrade your browser.
Citibank currently offers 3 levels of security to help safeguard your financial information:
Strong Encryption (128-bit):
All data sent to and from Citibank is "scrambled" and "reassembled" between Citibank and your personal computer to protect your personal and financial information. 128-bit encryption, the highest level of encryption commercially available, means there are 2128 possible combinations of "keys" but only one that will "unlock" the information.
Secure Online Banking
Sign On - You will need to enter your registered User ID and Password using the Keyboard (No virtual/on Screen Keypad). This is part of the new system upgrade for your own convenience.
One Time Password - When you perform certain actions, such as activating your card, adding new payee, viewing your E-Statement. Citibank Online will now ask you to enter a One Time Password. This password will be sent via SMS to your primary mobile number registered on our records allowing you to complete your request.
Automatic Time Out:
When there is no activity for 6 minutes, Citibank will terminate your secure Citibank Online session to help protect against unauthorized access.
Digital Certificates provide the user with third Party (Certification Authority) evidence of the server's authenticity. This safeguards users from trusting unauthorized sites and allows the session to be encrypted. The customer will see a "closed lock" icon on the leftmost (Netscape) / rightmost (Internet Explorer) bottom corner of the Citibank Online Screen. Clicking on the image of lock or a key at the bottom of the browser window when you have reached the page that needs your Debit / Credit Card number and PIN input will allow the customer to see the VeriSign Certificate authenticating the site.
The Citibank Online Terms and Conditions are displayed after you sign on to Citibank Online. These Terms and Conditions are also available on this website.
You should click the "Sign-Off" button at screen top. This will ensure your session is properly signed off.
Don't worry. While a reference number will be given in most completed transactions, you can also re-logon to check your account balances, or re-initialize the transaction, if needed. Should you have any doubts or questions, call our 24-hour CitiPhone Banking Service to check the status at +973 1758 2484.
The customer will see a "closed lock" icon on the leftmost (Chrome) / rightmost (Internet Explorer) bottom corner of the Citibank Online Screen.
Contact your ISP if they are ISP related. Otherwise, call our 24-Hour CitiPhone Banking Service at +973 1758 2484.
