Easy Ways To Protect Your Bank Account! Stay Alert!

Easy Tips To Protect Your Hard-Earned Money! Hope This Helps!

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1. Always sign off and close your browser when you finish an online banking session.

2. Make sure all your information is updated, such as email address and phone number, in case we need to contact you about suspicious activity.

3. Make sure you select security questions that only you know.

4. Memorize the Personal Identification Numbers (“PINs”)for your debit and/or credit cards. If you must write them down, never keep that information in your wallet or purse.

5. Memorize your password for your online banking access. If you must write them down, keep it in a secure place.

6. Beware before you share. Exercise caution in sharing any account information via phone, text, or the web. KeyBank will never call or email you to ask for your account number – we already have it.

7. Seek secure URLs. Only enter account numbers on secure websites you know you can trust. Look for the “s” in the URL’s https. The “s” signifies secure communications.

8. Review bank statements for accuracy.

9. Never disclose a debit or credit card PIN (personal identification number) in email or on the phone.

10. Be suspicious of strangers who ask for personal information by email or phone.

11. If you’re asked to provide your Social Security number or other confidential information, make sure you know who wants the information and why.

12. Be wary of email attachments and “free” software.

13. Don’t use part of your Social Security number as a PIN.

14. Think before you download apps, click on links or reply to email that might be harmful or fraudulent.

15. Keep your laptop or mobile device’s operating system and Internet browser up to date.

16. Don’t store passwords, your Social Security or other sensitive information on your smartphone.

17. Be aware of your surroundings when you bank online and watch out for “shoulder surfers,” people who hover nearby and observe your information without your knowledge.

18. Enroll in online statements to stop receiving paper statements in the mail. This will prevent the possibility of a paper statement being stolen right out of a mailbox, off a desk, or from a trashcan.

19. If you do prefer to continue receiving paper statements, guard them well. Know when they should arrive. If one seems late, contact the bank. Shred statements before discarding.

Smart passwords:

Banks are moving away from usernames and passwords and toward fingerprint scans, device detection and other more secure techniques to identify their customers.

In the near future, they might even use other biometrics like iris scans, facial recognition or voice prints.

If your bank’s online system still requires a username and password — and many do — it’s essential for security reasons that you create a unique password and update it often.

“Use something that’s not easy to guess and that contains maybe some capital letters, some numbers and a special symbol to make it even harder,”

Other precautions you should take:

Use your smartphone’s passcode or fingerprint unlocking feature if available.

Don’t post information to social media that could be used to guess your passwords or answers to your security questions. Examples include birthdates, anniversary dates, your mother’s maiden name, your pets’ names and the type of car you drive.

Set up bank account notifications that can alert you to fraudulent activity.

Don’t sign into online banking on a public computer and always sign out when you’ve finished your transactions, even if you use your home computer or own mobile device.

Go mobile!

So, how can you reduce your risk?

One smart precaution is to access your bank’s online banking system with your bank’s app on your smartphone instead of a laptop or PC, says Shirley Inscoe, senior analyst at Aite Group, a financial sector research and analysis company in Boston.

Download the app from your bank’s website, not an app store. Some app stores may have been infiltrated by hackers who can upload fake apps that look nearly identical to the real ones.

Stay Alert.. Stay Safe..