Fraud, Compliance & Security

Conduct Your Financial Transactions Safely and Securely

We work hard to protect your confidential information and privacy when dealing with us online. A secure login process and strong encryption are only the first steps in helping to prevent others from accessing your account information online.

Pateno is committed to the privacy and security of customer information. In the financial services business confidentiality is critical. We continually strive to do our utmost to ensure your information is protected.

We employ the most up-to-date security standards to protect our systems, our public websites and your information to ensure the safety, confidentiality and integrity of your information and transactions.

Protecting your information and ensuring the security of your transactions are among our highest priorities. While we are doing all we can to safeguard your information, there are also important measures you can take to protect yourself when you bank online. Please take the time to read over this valuable security information.

Protecting Yourself

At Pateno, we take strong measures to protect the security and privacy of your information.

Find out what you can do to help protect yourself:

1. Choose unique passwords

   A strong password should be one you’ll remember but would be difficult for others to guess. A combination of letters, numbers and special characters should be used for better protection. It’s recommended that passwords are changed every 3 months.

2. Never disclose your passwords or PINs

   Pateno will never send you unsolicited emails asking you to reply with passwords, account numbers or PINs. Do not disclose your password or PINs to anyone, especially online.

3. Use a firewall

   Firewalls guard your home network from potential hackers and offensive websites.

4. Use anti-virus and anti-malware software

   Updated anti-virus and anti-malware software can protect your computer from threats and cyber-attacks.

5. Guard your mobile device

   Never leave your device unattended when using the Pateno mobile app. Also, be sure to use your phone’s built-in lock function and password-protect it for start-up or time-out.

Maintaining the care, control and confidentiality of your card number, login ID and web password is your responsibility as set out in our customer agreements. Pateno is not responsible for unauthorized access to accounts online or losses that occur as a result of you voluntarily disclosing your card number, login ID or web password, or the careless or improper handling, storing or disclosure by you of this information.

Quick Tips for Preventing Fraud

Pateno wants to ensure you and your private information are kept safe, and out of the hands of fraudsters and fraudulent activity.

In addition to our Privacy Policy, which can be found here, here are some quick tips to protect yourself and your business.

• All Pateno email addresses end in @pateno.com
• Pateno’s official website is www.pateno.com
• Pateno only operates in Canada
• Use a firewall
• Use anti-virus and anti-malware software
• Do not click on a link in a suspicious email; instead, go to the bank’s official website using a web address you know belongs to the bank
• Do not call or email the bank using information in a suspicious email; instead, use the information listed on the bank’s official website
• If you are not sure an email or other form of communication is legitimate, please call Pateno at 1-833-572-8366 – we would be happy to confirm
• Protect your PIN
• Never share your personal account passwords with anyone
• Always remember to log off

What We Do

Pateno deploys security measures to help protect you when using our online banking services. Some of the security measures we have in place include

• Strong encryption technology to help ensure that data passing between your PC and our web server is secure, therefore you must have a browser that supports this level of encryption.
• Digital certificates issued by trusted third party companies to let you know that our site is secure and genuine.
• Firewalls to protect your information with us.

What We Don't Do

Pateno will never send you messages asking you to provide us with personal or account information, or login information such as usernames, passwords, PINs, security questions and answers, or account numbers via email (see Phishing (Email & Website Fraud) for more information)

Please keep in mind that email messages are not encrypted and therefore, are subject to being intercepted and read by third parties.

Recognizing Fraud

Increase your safety by learning how you can recognize fraudsters. Every year, thousands of Canadians fall victim to fraud. Most fraud will involve one or more of the following:

• Purchase from someone far away, often in another country
• A buyer asking for your banking details in order to make a wire transfer
• A buyer faking an email from an existing bank saying the wire transfer cannot be completed until the item has been shipped and a tracking number is provided

As a rule of thumb, if it sounds too good to be true – it probably is. If you have any questions about our processes, or how we can help ensure you are not a victim of fraud, our call center is available for you 24 hours a day at 1-833-572-8366. You can also reach us by emailing customersupport@pateno.com.

The most common approaches that fraudsters take include:

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge or consent, to commit a crime, such as fraud or theft.

Identity thieves steal key pieces of your personal information and use it to impersonate you and commit crimes in your name. They may physically steal important documents, or they may obtain your personal information in other ways, without your knowledge. Once they steal the information, they may use these stolen identities to conduct spending sprees, open new bank accounts, divert mail, or apply for loans, credit cards and social benefits.

Key signs that someone may be trying to steal your identity:

• Your bank statement, online activity or passbook shows transactions that you don’t recognize.
• A creditor informs you that an application for credit was received with your name and address, which you did not complete.
• You receive credit card statements or other bills in your name that do not belong to you.
• You no longer receive legitimate credit card or bank account statements or you notice that not all of your mail is delivered.
• A collection agency informs you they are collecting for a defaulted account established with your identity and you never opened the account.
• Your chequebook, debit card or credit card goes missing.

Credit and Debit Card Fraud

This type of fraud occurs when a person uses your credit or your debit card or the card’s details without your knowledge or consent, typically to make purchases or apply for credit fraudulently.

Credit cards and debit cards have become the most popular payment options for Canadians. Most people today prefer paying with plastic to handing over cash and cheques. At the same time you should be aware of the potential for credit card and debit card fraud.

How do these types of fraud work?

Credit card fraud comes in two main forms.

• Criminals can steal your actual card or obtain your credit card number, often by Phishing, Vishing, Smishing, or Malware.
• They can also produce counterfeit cards and get credit cards issued to them by making false applications using your identity.

According to the RCMP, criminals target students, new Canadians and people who have experienced credit problems by offering them low-interest credit cards for a fee. People who pay the fee never get a card and never see their money again.

Debit card fraud occurs when a criminal obtains your debit card information and Personal Identification Number (PIN). Without your PIN the debit card is useless, so if your card is stolen or duplicated the criminal must try to find out your PIN. That’s why protecting your PIN is so important.

• In one method, called “skimming,” consumers have provided their debit card to make a payment, and the merchant swipes the card through a hidden device to obtain the information embedded in the magnetic stripe so that a duplicate of the card can be made. At the same time, a camera records the consumer entering their PIN.
• In another, the debit handset, where you input your PIN, is “swapped out” with another that either records the entered information so that the fraudster can steal it back later and gain access to your accounts, or wirelessly transmits the data to the fraudster, located nearby.
• Finally, ATMs have been tampered with to either record or transmit the customer’s card details and PIN.

Phishing (Email & Website Fraud)

When criminals post a fraudulent website to gather personal information from unknowing consumers, it’s called “phishing.” There are ways you can protect yourself.

“Phishing” or “brand spoofing” is a scam where a perpetrator sends authentic-looking emails, appearing to come from legitimate companies, in an effort to “fish” or “phish” for personal and financial information. The emails direct recipients to click on links that re-direct them to fraudulent or “spoofed” websites. Once on the fraudulent site, the email recipient is asked to enter personal and/or financial information that is later used to commit fraud.

Some common things to watch for are:

• Spelling mistakes
• Poor grammar
• Poor quality of the Financial Institution’s logo or images
• Links do not lead to the bank’s official website
• The “reply-to” email address is a different email address than the “from” email address
• Email addresses listed in the email do not belong to the bank

If you receive such an email claiming to be from Pateno and you believe it to be fraudulent, do not respond and do not open or click on any links or open attachments contained within the email. Please notify us by reporting the suspicious email to support@pateno.com and contact us immediately at 1-833-572-8366.

In addition, ensure that you delete the email immediately after notifying us.

Vishing

Some fraudsters will call in an attempt to trick customers into providing their personal information. Being aware of the tactics used can help you stay safe.

“Vishing” (“voice” plus “phishing”) uses telephone communications to strengthen a phishing expedition.

Legitimate financial institutions do not request personal information from their customers by unsolicited email or telephone calls – they already have that information. If you call in to Pateno, we may ask you to provide personal information as a means of authenticating you.

If you suspect vishing, do not respond to the phone message. Do contact your financial institution or credit card company and tell them of your suspicions. Pateno’s contact information can be found here.

Smishing

Some fraudsters will send “phishing” text messages in an attempt to trick customers into providing their personal information. Being aware of the tactics used can help you stay safe.

“Smishing” is a combined word created from “Short Message Service” (i.e. a text message) and the word “phishing”). Text messages sent to your cell phone using SMS (Short Message Service) technology can be sent to ‘phish’ for your personal information in the same way that such information is sought through ‘vishing’ and ‘phishing’ expeditions.

Watch out for the following indications that an SMS text message may be a Smishing attempt:

• The message may include what looks like a legitimate website address and asks you to confirm (i.e. enter) several pieces of your personal financial information, such as your credit/debit card number, CVV code (on the back of your credit card), your ABM card number, your SIN, your email address, or other personal information.

If you suspect Smishing, do not respond to the text message. You should immediately contact your financial institution or credit card company and tell them of your suspicions. Pateno’s contact information can be found here.

The Little Black Book of Scams

The Canadian Competition Bureau has released the Little Black Book of Scams. It explains several common scams or schemes that are used to fraudulently obtain information from Canadians and how you can protect yourself.