Freedom Bank is Focused on You
- (406) 892-1776
- Routing # 092905456
Your phone is a part of your life: texting, social media, checking your accounts at Freedom Bank and so much more. Digital wallets may sound high-tech, but they’re really about simplicity and safety. A Digital Wallet is simply a way to store your credit or debit cards on your smartphone. Once you set it up, paying with your phone is fast, secure, and convenient. You’ll probably find yourself wondering how you ever did without it.
Digital wallets are designed to be very secure, and in many ways are even more secure than traditional cards.
Here’s why:
Using a digital wallet is surprisingly easy, even if you’re not especially tech-savvy.
You’ll either scan it or enter the card details manually. Freedom Bank will ask to verify it with a code or phone call.
At checkout, if you see the contactless symbol, simply open the wallet app and select the card you would like to use. Your device should prompt you for a passcode or biometric authentication. Hold your phone near the payment terminal close to the contactless icon (where you’d normally tap a card). That’s it!
When shopping online or in apps, look for the Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay options. Select it, confirm with your phone’s security, and your payment is done – no typing in card numbers or billing info.
Here are some of the top reasons people are embracing digital wallets:
If you have a smartphone, you already have everything you need. Give it a try! Our team at Freedom Bank is here to answer any questions you may have.
The text seems harmless enough: “FedEx: Your package is undeliverable. Click here to confirm your delivery address.” You weren’t expecting a package, but maybe someone sent you a surprise? Moments like this are exactly where scammers thrive. Every day we receive messages asking us to do something; it’s part of being an employee, a contractor, a team member, or just a person who uses technology. Most of these messages are routine and harmless. But sometimes, a message arrives that carries hidden risk.
There are two specific traits that, when combined, make any message far more likely to be part of a social engineering scam. Not every scam message has both traits, but most do. Recognizing these traits can help you avoid being manipulated into doing something harmful to yourself, your organization, or your data.
Trait 1: The Message Is Unexpected
It doesn’t matter how the message arrives – email, text, WhatsApp, social media, a work chat channel, even a phone call or face-to-face interaction. If the message comes out of the blue, that’s the first red flag.
When you aren’t expecting someone to contact you, your guard should go up immediately. This doesn’t mean it’s definitely a scam, but it does mean you should slow down and evaluate it more carefully.
Trait 2: It’s Asking You to Do Something You Haven’t Done Before
Scammers rely on urgency and unfamiliarity to create confusion. Often, the message will ask you to do something you’ve never done before. It might sound urgent or sensitive. You might be told something bad will happen if you don’t act right now.
That unfamiliar action could be anything:
If you’ve never done this before for that person or organization, pause. That’s your second red flag.
What You Should Do Instead
If a message checks both boxes: 1) it’s unexpected, and 2) asks you to do something new, here’s how to handle it:
Do NOT trust any contact details in the message.
Scammers include fake phone numbers, spoofed email addresses, and links that lead to convincing but fraudulent sites or call centers.
Avoid relying on search engine lookups for phone numbers.
Scammers are known to poison search results with fake contact info. If you must look up a number, do it on the organization’s official site.
Slow Down, Stay Safe
We live in a world where new, unexpected messages are normal. But now you know the two-question test for risk:
If the answer to both is “yes”, stop, verify independently, and don’t act until you’re sure it is a legitimate request.
Scammers don’t need to hack your systems if they can hack your attention. Slow down, ask the two questions, and take control before you act.
It’s that time of year and we can’t wait to celebrate!
Born in Columbia Falls 20 years ago, Freedom Bank is proud to have grown into a cornerstone of the greater Flathead Valley, dedicated to serving the entire community. For two decades, we’ve had the privilege of being a local business, and it has been truly inspiring to participate in and witness the remarkable growth of our community. As a community bank, we’ve always been committed to providing personalized financial guidance. We tailor our solutions to the unique needs and goals of each business owner and individual, helping you achieve your financial aspirations. To continue supporting your success, we’ve expanded our services to include advanced digital banking tools for both businesses and consumers.
Stop by and learn more about how Freedom Bank can be your bank. We look forward to many more years of serving the Flathead Valley!
Freedom Bank is a main sponsor of the Open Rodeo at the Blue Moon Arena and a proud partner of the Columbia Falls Community Market.
Heritage Days is an adventure and celebration for the whole family. Take a look at the complete schedule below, or visit the official Heritage Days website here: https://cfallsheritagedays.com/events.html
Help the Wildcat/kat Athletic Endowment assist with the financial support of CFHS athletics.
This year marks a significant milestone for Freedom Bank as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Since opening our doors in 2005, we’ve been dedicated to growing alongside you and supporting local businesses and initiatives.
We invite all community members to participate in our 20th-anniversary events. Your support has been the cornerstone of our success, and we can’t wait to celebrate this achievement with you. Stay connected with us through our website and social media channels for event updates and more information.
📅 Monday, April 7 through Thursday, April 10: Stop by the bank for coffee, cookies, and opportunities to win in our daily drawings and giveaways.
🍔 Friday, April 11: Join us for a celebratory BBQ starting at 11:00AM. We’ll be serving up hot dogs and hamburgers—rain, shine, or even snow!
As we celebrate this milestone, we remain committed to the values that have guided us for the past 20 years: personalized service, community involvement, and financial solutions tailored to your needs. We look forward to continuing our journey with you, fostering growth and prosperity in Columbia Falls and beyond.
Today, one of the most pressing concerns for the Flathead Valley is the availability of affordable housing. Scammers will try to exploit people’s desperation by using real rental listings and post them on various online platforms, such as social media groups, the marketplace, and more. A listing will look like a fantastic deal and the scammer will try and rush you into paying an application fee, deposit, and/or first month’s rent with promises to provide keys later. However, once they’ve received the money, scammers disappear leaving you without your money and with no place to live.
To avoid losing time and money to scammers use the following steps:
Additional warning signs:
Steps to take if you’re a victim of a rental scam:
Key Takeaways
If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Always be weary if someone is trying to invoke a strong emotion (i.e., fear, anger, happiness, excitement, etc.), take a moment to reassess and do further research.
It’s that time of year and we can’t wait to celebrate!
The community celebration began in 1956 to mark the prosperity brought about by industrial expansion, which included the railroad, lumber business, and the Anaconda Aluminum Company.
Freedom Bank is honored to have been a part of Columbia Falls’ growth over the past 19 years. Just like many of our customers, Freedom Bank is a local business. It has been inspiring to participate and watch the community grow as we support it. As a small community bank, Freedom Bank provides personalized financial guidance tailored to the unique needs and goals of each business owner and individual and offers customized solutions to help the community achieve their goals. Freedom Bank recently expanded our services to help businesses and consumers with digital banking tools. Stop by to find out more. We want to be your bank!
Freedom Bank is a main sponsor of the Open Rodeo at the Blue Moon Arena and a proud partner of the Columbia Falls Community Market.
Heritage Days is an adventure and celebration for the whole family. Take a look at the complete schedule below or visit the official Heritage Days website here:
https://www.cfallsheritagedays.com/events.html
Help the Wildcat/kat Athletic Endowment assist with the financial support of CFHS athletics.
Protecting yourself while shopping online is of utmost importance. In today’s digital age, it is crucial to stay vigilant and take necessary precautions to ensure a safe online shopping experience. Opt for trusted platforms and payment gateways that offer encryption and fraud protection. Additionally, be cautious of suspicious emails or websites that may attempt to steal your personal data. Always double-check the legitimacy of the sender or the website before sharing any sensitive information.
ction, you may notice that two letters have been swapped or there is a minor misspelling. If you encounter a spelling error in the domain name, it indicates that you are not on the official site, and it is advisable to close the tab.The image shows a link that at first glance looks like it will take you to the Better Business Bureau, however, when you hover the cursor over the link you can see it will take you to the Freedom Bank website.
A Freedom Bank debit card isn’t just a piece of plastic. It’s something that’s relied upon every day for groceries, gas, gifts, and so much more. Unfortunately, fraudsters are well aware that debit cards can allow them direct access to your bank account. To protect you from this, Freedom Bank utilizes state of the art fraud monitoring with a proactive, hands-on approach that keeps an eye on suspicious transactions. We know that sometimes this can be a frustrating and an inconvenient process for our customers and we are constantly trying to improve.
In response to the need for a more convenient form of fraud monitoring and notifying, we have implemented text alerts. Text alerts are a debit card service feature that increases card account security while decreasing instances of customers not being able to complete legitimate transactions.
FreeMSG Freedom Bank MT Fraud Center 888-XXX-XXXX $125.46 on card 1234 at Merchant ABC. If valid reply YES, fraud NO. To Opt Out, STOP.
FreeMSG Freedom Bank MT Fraud Center 888-XXX-XXXX Thank you for confirming this activity. You may continue to use your card. To Opt Out reply STOP.
You will be able complete your transaction by running your debit card one more time after receiving this message from Freedom Bank.
FreeMSG Freedom Bank MT Fraud Center 888-XXX-XXXX Your response has placed a block on the card. Call us immediately at 888-XXX-XXXX, avail 24/7. To Opt Out reply STOP.
Your card will be restricted until you either contact the fraud number provided in the message, or Freedom Bank at (406) 892-1776:
This feature is free to all card holders with a cell phone. To ensure you can take advantage of this new debit card feature please make sure all contact information is up to date with Freedom Bank. You can do this either by calling (406) 892-1776 or by stopping by the bank at 530 9th St. West Columbia Falls, MT. If you decide you do not want to receive further text messages, just text STOP to Opt Out.
Fake messages from scammers will look very similar to those sent by any financial institution. These messages are designed to scare or confuse you and create a sense of urgency usually the text message will reference high dollar amounts. These scammers want you to believe they are from Freedom Bank and will most likely have researched you beforehand. They may look like:
Free Msg- (Insert financial institution name here) Bank Fraud Alert- Did You Attempt an Instant Payment in the amount of $5,000.00? REPLY YES or NO or 1 To STOP ALERTS
If you reply ‘NO’ they will send a second message saying you will be contacted shortly.
When the scammer calls, they may:
The community celebration began in 1956 to mark the prosperity brought about by industrial expansion, which included the railroad, lumber business, and the Anaconda Aluminum Company.
Freedom Bank is honored to be a part of Columbia Falls’ growth over the past 17 years. Just like many of our customers, Freedom Bank is a small local business. To participate in this community and to be able to support and watch it grow has been inspiring.
Freedom Bank is a main sponsor of the Open Rodeo at the Blue Moon Arena, a team and prize sponsor for the 3 on 3 basketball tournament, and a sponsor of the Columbia Falls Community Market at the Coop.
Heritage Days is an adventure and celebration for the whole family. Take a look at the complete schedule below or visit the official website here: http://cfallsheritagedays.com/index.html
This current environment requires us all to be focused on resilience. Just as you fasten your seat belt before driving, take precautions before using the Internet to be sure you are safe and secure.
The National Cyber Security Alliance has some tips to help you stay protected online:
Lock your devices, like your tablet and phone: You lock the front door to your house, and you should do the same with your devices. Use biometric authentication, such as facial recognition or your fingerprint, to lock your tablet and phone. Securing your devices keeps prying eyes out and can help protect your information in case your device is lost or stolen.
Think before you act: Ignore emails or communications that create a sense of urgency and require you to respond to a crisis, such as a problem with your bank account or taxes. This type of message is likely a scam.
When in doubt, throw it out: Clicking on links in emails is often how bad guys get access to personal information. If an email looks weird, even if you know the person who sent it, it’s best to delete.
Make passwords strong: A strong password is a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Focus on positive sentences or phrases that you like to think about and are easy to remember (for example, “I love country music.”). On many sites, you can even use spaces!
Write it down and keep it safe: Everyone can forget a password. Keep a list that’s stored in a safe, secure place away from your computer.
What you post will last forever: Be aware that when you post a picture or message online, you may also be inadvertently sharing personal details with strangers about yourself and family members – like where you live.
Post only about others as you would like to have them post about you: The golden rule applies online as well.
Own your online presence: It’s OK to limit who can see your information and what you share. Learn about and use privacy and security settings on your favorite websites.
You can learn more at stopthinkconnect.org.
