The IRS and the Treasury Department have begun delivering a second round of Economic Impact Payments (stimulus check) for qualifying individuals as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021.

You can check the status of your economic impact payment (stimulus check) through irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Stimulus Checks:

How will I get my payment?

If you are eligible to receive a payment, you will receive it in one of three ways:

• • By automatic deposit into the bank account reflected or reported on your 2019 or 2018 tax return.
  • If you have not given the IRS your direct deposit account information in the last two years you will receive a paper check from the US Treasury.
  • Note: During the last round of stimulus checks we learned that if you used a tax preparer who offered “instant” refunds, it is possible your paper check went there. You will need to contact your tax preparer for more information.
  • Instead of receiving a paper check, some customers will receive a prepaid card in the mail.

When will I get my payment?

Per the IRS and Treasury Departments, direct deposit payments may have begun appearing as “pending” in some accounts, however funds will not be available before Monday, January 4, 2021.
You might want to set up a direct deposit alert through your account online to be notified by text or email when you receive direct deposits. 

Paper checks with the pay date of Wednesday, January 6, 2021, began to be mailed on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. If you receive your check before the designated date you will not be able to cash or deposit it until the date displayed.

 

I received a check, now what?

Our lobby is open and ready to serve you! However, if you would rather keep a little more distance, you can make your deposit in our drive-thru. Don’t want to leave home? It is easy to deposit your check with our mobile banking app! 

Download our Android App | Download our Apple App

Why haven’t I gotten my payment yet?

We have no control over when you receive your payment (if it were up to us you would have it already). To learn more about eligibility and to check on your payment, visit IRS.gov/coronavirus.

 

How can I protect myself from scammers or fraud?

If you receive a suspicious email or text message, don’t respond, click on links, or open attachments! Please know that we will never ask for your confidential information (such as your card PIN, access code, or online banking password) if we reach out to you.

• • This IRS April 2, 2020, news release offers more details about scams related to government relief checks.
  • This CNBC December 29, 2020 article includes 5 common stimulus check scams for you to watch out for.

Should I visit the bank or call for additional information?

While it is always a pleasure to see and speak with you, our employees will not have access to the status of your economic impact payment. 

We encourage you to access your account online as a first choice for viewing account information. We will provide more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, please check  IRS.gov/coronavirus for more information.

There’s no need to worry about shopping online this December. Keep reading for 5 tips on how to keep your accounts safe while shopping online this holiday season and all year long! 

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1. Do your research and know who you’re shopping with.

That “perfect gift” you just saw in a Facebook Ad? Take a minute to do some research to make sure it isn’t a lump of coal. Ask others if they have shopped with that company before. Check their Facebook page for reviews. Look them up with the Better Business Bureau. Examine the website for poor grammar and/or misspelled words. Check the website’s privacy & shipping policy before providing personal or financial information.

Another way to double-check website security from the business you are purchasing from is to look at the left corner of the URL to confirm that there is a padlock icon and that the URL begins with HTTPS. These two details indicate that the site should have an extra layer of security attached to it. If those are missing abandon your cart & head over to a more trusted website! 

 

2. Use secure WiFI or a VPN

With the convenience of mobile sites and shopping apps, it can be so tempting to shop on the go. However, free (public) wireless networks make it much easier to intercept and steal your data. Go ahead & add to cart but wait till you get home to enter your payment information. Or just use the data connection on your phone. It’s significantly more secure than public WiFi. 

If you’re still worried, take the extra step of using a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts all the data coming in and out of your device, so no one can snoop on your internet activity and steal the information you input online, including logins and payment information.

 

3. Check statements regularly.

The holidays are prime time for scammers to make unauthorized charges on stolen cards. While you are busy shopping (online and in-person) for the ones you love, it can be easy to miss one purchase you didn’t make. Often we think that it’s one our spouse made or we just don’t remember who it’s for. 

Be sure to follow St Nick’s example and check your list twice! You can even set up account alerts and quickly dispute any purchases that you did not authorize. Keep your receipts (paper and email) to compare them against your statements.

 

4. Keep It Simple

One way to manage all your holiday shopping is to use the same card and email account for all of your holiday shopping. Using one email makes it easier for you to spot phishing emails and to keep track of your online orders in case something gets lost in the mail. Using a separate card from your everyday spending helps you keep a closer watch on exactly how much you have bought and has the added benefit of being able to quickly suspend activities without impacting anything else if the card gets compromised.

Any trustworthy website will email you a sales confirmation after your purchase. Don’t delete these emails until the item has arrived and you know that you are satisfied. While the vendor should have a record of the sale on their end, the receipt has information that you want to be armed with should you need to call customer service or return a purchase.

 

5. Use a credit card

There are laws that limit your liability for fraudulent charges on a credit card but not as many for debit cards. Also, use a credit card when using a payment gateway such as PayPal, Google Wallet, or Apple Pay. 

The reason we suggest this is because debit cards pull money directly from your account & can lead to problems in other areas if unauthorized charges come through. 

While in cases of fraud we will make things right if someone empties your checking account, seeing your money disappear can be a lot more stressful than seeing your credit card bill. You can minimize going over your budget by using a single, low-limit credit card to make all of your online purchases. 

 

 

Bonus: You can set up text or email alerts in your account for transactions that exceed a certain amount of money or if your account goes below a certain amount. This will let you know quickly if a cybercriminal has gone on a shopping spree with your account.

Happy Veterans Day to our soldiers, both past and present. We owe you our thanks, but more than that, we owe you our freedom.

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Why is Abbeville First Bank Closed on November 11, 2020?

We follow the U.S. Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule and will be closed in honor of Veteran’s Day. 

Bank holidays aren’t always the same day that people have off from work. This can lead to some of us thinking banks are closed when they really are open and vice versa.

What if you need us while we are closed?

1. Login Online or Use an App

This is the quickest and easiest method, you don’t even have to leave the warmth of your home! When you log in to your account online you can check balances, pay bills, move money around between accounts, set up alerts for a low balance or when a particular check clears, stop payments, and more!

Your banking abilities extend a little further, too, if you have our mobile app. It adds the ability to deposit checks right from your smartphone.
Personal Banking account apps: Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Business Banking account apps:  Apple Store or Google Play Store.

Since the U.S. Federal Reserve is still closed, some transactions will be processed the next business day. While you can perform your transactions, the money may not go through immediately.

2. ATMs

If you simply can’t wait to make a cash deposit or withdrawal, our ATMs are always available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

3. Come See Us Another Day

Bank holidays just mean you won’t be able to go into a branch and speak with a teller that day. Our lobby and drive-thru lines will be open and ready to serve you first thing in the morning on Thursday, November 12, 2020.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

 

Bonus: Plan ahead!

The next days that Abbeville First will be closed are:
Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26, 2020
Christmas Eve: We will be closing at NOON on Thursday, December 24, 2020
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2020
New Years Day: Friday, January 1, 2021

As of May 11th our lobby has been open for regular business. To ensure the safety of our customers and employees we are using the following guidelines:

Abbeville Main Office

• • 9:00 to 9:30 lobby opened only for customers age 60 & older and those at high risk
  • All Frontline employees will be wearing a mask
  • All customers are encouraged to wear a mask (Disposable masks are available)
  • All customers will be asked sanitize their hands when entering
  • All customers will follow social distancing measures (floor markings)
  • No more than four customers will be allowed in lobby at a time

Calhoun Falls Branch

Lobby will remain closed