1. General Information
Q |
What is Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking?
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| A |
Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking provides a free, easy and convenient way to access your
accounts almost anywhere. Use this safe and secure service to see your account balances and
activity, transfer funds and receive account alerts from your mobile device or cellular telephone.
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Q |
How much does Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking cost?
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| A |
There is no fee to use Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking. Tri Counties Bank will not charge you a fee
when you access the mobile banking application, when you are sent an alert, when you send a text message
command to Tri Counties Bank or when you receive the corresponding reply to a text message command. However,
standard wireless carrier charges apply, including their applicable SMS text messaging fees so please make
sure you understand the terms of your mobile agreement before taking advantage of these services.
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Q |
What services are required on my mobile device?
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| A |
All you need is a mobile carrier plan that allows for sending/receiving of text messages and/or internet services.
Please note: Internet browser services are required only if using Mobile Web.
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Q |
Do I have to be an Online Banking customer to use Mobile Banking?
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| A |
No. You do not have to be enrolled in Online Banking to take advantage of Mobile Banking. It is, however, necessary to
enroll in Mobile Banking via the Tri Counties Bank website. You will need internet access to enroll and update account
information or alert setup.
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Q |
What does SMS stand for?
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| A |
SMS stands for "Short Message Service", a communications protocol allowing the interchange of short text messages between
mobile telephone devices. The term "SMS" is generally used interchangeably with the "text message" or "texting".
SMS is the ability to send and receive short text-based messages from another person through SMS-capable devices,
such as cellular telephones or other mobile devices.
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Q |
Are there limitations to SMS text messages?
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| A |
Yes. SMS messages are limited to at most 160 characters, must consist of only numbers, letters, and special characters,
and cannot contain images, rich text (such as bold, underlined text, etc.), or other content or formats. Text messages
that have content overflow over the 160 character maximum are then sent in an additional or separate text message.
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Q |
What is a shortcode?
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| A |
A shortcode is a 4-6 digit code translated from letters to numbers on a standard telephone keypad. The shortcode allows
users to communicate with Tri Counties Bank via SMS. Tri Counties Bank’s shortcode is GoTCB (46822).
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Q |
Are there any other things I should know about a shortcode?
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| A |
Yes. Please understand that the shortcode translation from letters to numbers must conform with the standard
telephone keypad (and not the keypad associated with some mobile devices). More specifically, please refer to
the following graphic that represents the translation of letters to numbers for shortcodes:
In our case, GoTCB can be numerically chosen by hitting the phone pad keys of 46822.
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Q |
How do I know if my cellular telephone supports SMS (also referred to as text messages)?
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| A |
The majority of all cellular telephones in the U.S now support SMS (text messages) so the chances are good
that your cellular telephone or mobile device is capable of sending and receiving SMS messages. To find out
for certain, contact your mobile service provider for assistance.
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Q |
Will SMS Banking & Alerts work on my mobile device or cellular phone?
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| A |
Yes, our service will work, provided your phone has the ability to send and receive text messages, and that
you subscribe to a carrier that supports Tri Counties Bank SMS messages. You may want to contact your mobile
provider or service plan to make sure your mobile device or cell phone is capable of sending and receiving SMS.
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Q |
I have a prepaid plan. Can I use SMS Banking & Alerts?
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| A |
Tri Counties Bank SMS Banking & Alerts will work with most prepaid plans, but we are unable to guarantee that your
carrier supports the six-digit U.S. shortcode 999999. Verify this information with your service provider.
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Q |
Is Mobile Banking secure?
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| A |
Yes, Tri Counties Bank is dedicated to protecting your personal and account information. We use a variety of technologies,
procedures, and programs to help ensure that all of our products and services remain safe and secure. There is no additional
software you need to install. In addition, Mobile Banking does not disclose any information that can be used to steal your
identity or commit fraud. We only use nicknames (not account numbers or customer names) in our alerts or SMS Banking command
and responses and no monies will ever leave the bank.
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Q |
Is Mobile Banking case sensitive?
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No. You will receive your account balance whether you type the command "BAL" or "bal".
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Q |
Is the Mobile Web application case sensitive?
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| A |
Yes. Your Username and password created during the enrollment process are required and are indeed case sensitive
via your browser application.
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Q |
Will Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking ever send unwanted text messages?
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| A |
No. Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking will never send you any text messages you did not request. Mobile Banking
responses will only be sent after we have received a valid Mobile Banking command from you. In addition, you
will only receive a Mobile Banking Alert after the event has occurred that you have previously elected to be
contacted about (and that you have specifically elected to be contacted via SMS).
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Q |
Can I access my accounts via Mobile Banking from any cell phone?
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| A |
No. For security purposes you may only access your accounts via mobile banking from registered cell phones/mobile
devices. This is to ensure that the incoming Mobile Banking requests from the specific mobile device match the
mobile number(s) provided in the mobile banking enrollment. It further ensures that you are indeed the requesting
party to prevent fraudulent users from accessing your accounts.
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Q |
I just opened a new account, how can I access it through my existing Mobile Banking account?
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| A |
As soon as you have opened your new account it will be available for you to enable on the Mobile Banking website. Log
into Mobile Banking online, select to activate your new account and create an account nickname.
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Q |
Does Tri Counties Bank store any confidential bank information on my phone?
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| A |
No. Tri Counties Bank does not provide any account number, name or password information in the incoming SMS messages to
your mobile device via Mobile Banking. However, it is important to keep in mind that these incoming messages are stored
in the mobile device and it is the customer’s responsibility to clear out their text messages on a periodic basis.
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Q |
What happens if I lose or replace my current mobile device?
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| A |
For security reasons, if your mobile device is lost, immediately contact your carrier to deactivate the service on the phone.
If the phone number will not be changing on your mobile device, all Mobile Banking functions will remain enabled. If the phone
number has changed, you will need to log into Mobile Banking and select the Phones link. Delete the old/unused phone number
and add the new phone number to the system. A pin verification will be sent to the new phone number so it will be necessary
to have your mobile device in hand while adding the new phone number.
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2. Getting Started
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How do I access Mobile Banking information?
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| A |
Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking consists of two separate but complementary services:
1. Text Message Banking: Provides the ability to send certain SMS commands (also known as text message commands)
to Tri Counties Bank to see your account balances and activity, transfer funds and receive account alerts from your
mobile device or cellular telephone.
2. Mobile Web: Access Mobile Banking through the browser of your smart phone to see your account balances and
activity, transfer funds and receive account alerts from your mobile device or cellular telephone.
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Q |
What are the commands available for Mobile Banking?
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| A |
The following commands are available for use with the GoTCB (46822) shortcode:
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BAL - retrieves the current & available balances for the default account
- BAL + nickname - retrieves the current & available balance for specific nicknamed account(s)
- BAL + All - retrieves the current & available balances for all accounts
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HIST – retrieves a history of transactions for the default account
- HIST + nickname - retrieves a history of transactions for specific nicknamed account(s)
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MORE - retrieves additional transaction history for the requested account
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TR - transfer funds between enabled accounts. If no decimal place is used in amount, whole dollars are assumed.
Input the command TR then the "from" account nickname, then the "to" account nickname and then the amount.
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HELP - retrieve general service information regarding how to stop alerts and Tri Counties Bank website.
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STOP - unsubscribe from Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking alerts.
Other command response:
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Unrecognized command: TCB SMS Banking: Your command was not recognized. Valid commands are: BAL, TR, HIST,
STOP, MORE, and HELP.
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Q |
What does a typical Mobile Banking command and response look like?
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| A |
Please note that the actual formatting (including line breaks, word wrapping, and other formatting considerations)
are dependent upon the display of your cellular telephone or mobile device. The following examples are merely
displayed to show the content and possible formatting of the message:
Example 1: To get balance information from an account nicknamed "ck1":
| Command: |
bal ck1 |
| Expected Response: |
Ck1
Current $1000.00
Available $1000.00
- For account transactions, text LAST
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Example 2: To get the last transactions for checking account nicknamed "ck1":
| Command: |
hist ck1 |
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| Expected Response: |
From: GoTCB
3-26-09
3-26-09
3-25-09
3-25-09
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$5.00 FEE
$35.00 CR
$1767.43 CR
$1521.68 CK
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To view additional transactions text MORE or MORE (Acct Nickname) |
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5. Capabilities / Commands
Q |
Where do I send my account inquiries?
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Send your text message to the shortcode GoTCB (46822). Note: You may want to add GoTCB (46822) to your contact
list in your mobile device for easy access and recognition when sending and receiving a SMS responses and commands.
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Q |
What balances will display on my response back from Tri Counties Bank?
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| A |
Current and Available balances will be displayed. It should be noted that the Available balance will include any
applicable Overdraft Privilege amounts on the account(s).
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Q |
Can I make a payment to my consumer loan using Mobile Banking?
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| A |
Yes! Loan payments may be made to consumer loans through the transfer command. Simply type in the transfer
command (TR), select the account you would like the payment to be made from, the loan nickname and the
amount to be paid. For example: Tr Ck1 Loan 1500.00.
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Q |
Any helpful tips regarding how to format text messages and how I should send them to Tri Counties Bank?
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| A |
Yes. There are a few helpful tips we can provide.
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Avoid using a signature: Many cellular telephones and mobile
devices have the capability of attaching a signature to your outgoing text messages, similar to the feature
found in many email programs. Please remove the signature from any text messages you send to Tri Counties
Bank for the best results.
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Avoid replying to a previous Tri Counties Bank text message: It is possible that when you
"Reply" to any of your previous Tri Counties Bank text messages, that your text message may carry additional
text that isn't visible to you while you are creating the SMS message but will make it unreadable to the
Mobile Banking service. For the best possible results, always send new SMS messages to GoTCB as opposed to
replying from previous SMS messages.
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Q |
While viewing my account history I noticed a transaction with a (p) next to it. What does that mean?
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| A |
(p) indicates a pending transaction on your account. Any transactions that are being posted to your account for
the current business day will show up looking like this. You should also note that any Overdraft Privilege that
you may have on your account will also show up as a pending transaction.
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Q |
What does it mean when I see "1/2" or "1 of 2" on my screen?
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| A |
"1/2" or "1 of 2" means you are reading the first message in a series of two messages. This is labeled as
"1/2" to ensure you will read your text messages in the correct order. Sometimes mobile providers may deliver
SMS messages out of order, so we number our messages so you can understand the correct sequence of the messages
being sent to you.
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Q |
My results were sent as multiple messages. Some messages arrived first. Why did it take longer for the others to arrive?
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| A |
Depending on your mobile provider, it may take some time for Mobile Banking messages to be delivered. If you receive
one message, it means that we've sent all the messages to you and you should receive them shortly. It may take a few
minutes for you to receive them all.
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Q |
Why are my results sent as multiple messages?
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| A |
Each response you receive from Tri Counties Bank may vary in size because all text messages are limited to a maximum
of 160 characters. Sometimes Tri Counties Bank can't send all of your account information in one single message
because it exceeds the 160-character limit (for example, you may only be able to view 3 transactions at a time). In this
case, your account information will be sent over multiple messages (numbered in sequence order as sent). Please
note, however, that no more than five concurrent SMS messages will be sent at a time.
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Q |
Can I access Mobile Banking from the browser on my mobile device?
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| A |
Yes. If you launch your web browser on your mobile device and go to https://gotcb.mobi/mobile When accessing mobile
banking from your browser you will be required to enter a user name and password as an additional security measure.
Upon successful input of security information you will be directed into the bank's Mobile Banking home page and can
do your mobile banking by simply clicking on the commands at the bottom of the page.
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6. Alerts
Q |
What do I need to be eligible to activate SMS Banking and Alerts?
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| A |
You will need a personal checking, savings, or money market account to activate the service and a mobile
device or cellular telephone with the ability to send and receive SMS (text) messages.
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Q |
What alerts can I sign up for?
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| A |
The following alerts are available to Tri Counties Bank Mobile Banking users:
-
Low Balance - provides an alert when a user's balance is below a user-defined threshold (set by the
user in the enrollment application when the user registers for this alert).
- Deposit Confirmation - provides an alert when a deposit is posted to the account.
- Check Cleared - provides an alert when a check clears.
- Overdraft Posted - provides an alert when an overdraft fee is posted.
- Withdrawal Confirmation - provides an alert when a withdrawal is posted.
- Withdrawal Threshold Exceeded - provides an alert when a withdrawal posts that is in excess of a user-defined threshold.
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Q |
How do I unsubscribe from the Tri Counties Bank Alerts?
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| A |
Send a SMS text message of "STOP" to GoTCB (46822). We will send you a confirmation message in a minute or so notifying
you that you will no longer receive Alerts from Tri Counties Bank.
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Q |
Can I resubscribe to Mobile Banking alerts after unsubscribing?
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| A |
Yes. You can do this by either sending any SMS command to GoTCB 46822 or by managing your cellular telephones
within the mobile enrollment site.
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Q |
How do I change my Mobile Banking alerts?
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| A |
Go to https://www.gotcb.mobi/enroll and input your Username and password at the
mobile banking enrollment page. From there you can access your alerts to make additions, deletes or changes
to existing alerts.
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Q |
What is a Text Message Alert?
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| A |
Text Message Alerts: Enables you to receive text message versions of Tri Counties Bank alerts delivered to your
cellular telephone or mobile device as a SMS Message (also known as a text message). You may receive account
activity alerts delivered to your mobile device.
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