Fraud Prevention

Fraud Protection and Prevention 

• Monitor you accounts regularly to ensure no unauthorized charges are suspicious activity.
• Password protect your mobile device(s) and personal computer
• Use strong passwords which include a combination of upper & lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Do no use common words, phrases, names, birthday, anniversary, etc.
• Update your password(s) regularly and do not share your password with anyone.
• Do not use the same password for all your accounts.
• Do not use automatic log-in features that save your username or password for accounts or online banking.
• Update your software regularly so that critical patches and protections against security threats will be installed.
• Set up alerts on your account through online banking that will monitor specific account activity.
• Do not put your Social Security number or driver’s license number on your checks, if possible.
• Avoid using public wireless connections if possible.
• Only visit secure websites with a web address that starts with “https” not “http”.
• Never click on links in unsolicited emails. Always check the sender’s email address for any possible misspellings. You will be able to detect a deceptive link by hovering over the link with your cursor which will display the actual destination of the link. Make sure the actual destination matches the address on the link. Be suspicious of links containing numbers in place of letters, misspellings or abbreviations.
• Be cautious of emails that create a sense of urgency (“Response Required”, “Act Now”).
• Keep your personal information secure by not giving out this information online, through the phone or through the mail unless you know who you are dealing with, and you initiated the correspondence.
• Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible. This requires additional log in credentials to access your account which will make it harder for scammers to log into your account.
• Shred all documents that contain any financial or personal information.
• Install a dedicated firewall and virus/malware protection on all computers.
• Verify all wire instructions to ensure legitimacy. Perform call back verification with requestor with a known phone number.