It's important to use a highly secure password for all your financial accounts. The most secure passwords combine letters, numbers and special characters. Never use anything that a fraudster could easily find out like your child’s name, your address, phone number or birth date. For added security, remember to change your password often, and avoid using the same password for multiple sites or financial institutions. You can do this quickly and easily by signing on and going to the security settings section of your account profile.
If you suspect that a website is not what it purports to be, leave the site immediately. Do not follow any of the instructions it presents.
These may appear to come from a trusted business or friend but actually are designed to trick you into downloading a virus or linking to a fraudulent website and disclosing sensitive information.
Be very suspicious of any email from a business or person that asks for your password, Social Security number, or other highly sensitive information and/or one that sends you personal information and asks you to update or confirm it. TCB representatives will never ask for your online banking password or Social Security number over the phone or email.
Be especially careful about opening an email with an attachment. We advise that you shouldn’t open attachments unless you are confident that you can trust the source and you are expecting an attachment. Even trusted sources may accidentally send an email with a virus.
Phishing occurs when an imposter tries to trick you into providing your sensitive data, such as confidential information, banking and credit card details, and passwords. They might even impersonate The Cooperative Bank in an email, phone call, or text, asking you to confirm your information —and it might look legitimate. The information is then used to access important accounts and can result in identity theft and financial loss.
Entering confidential information on unencrypted websites is more like sending this information on a postcard. Look for the padlock symbol to ensure that the site is secure before you enter confidential personal information.
Always keep in mind that forging emails and creating phony “look-alike” websites designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information is not difficult. Make sure that websites on which you transact business post privacy and security statements, and review them carefully.
The best defense against computer attacks is preventative software. You will need to update the software regularly to guard against new risks, so download updates from your anti-virus software provider as soon as they're available. Or, better yet, set the software to update automatically.
Many internet service providers offer this feature. A personal firewall protects your home computer against unauthorized access but is only designed to safeguard the device on which it is installed. It works by controlling the internet traffic that enters and exits your computer. A firewall watches for attempts to access your computer and blocks communications to and from unauthorized and sometimes malicious sources.
If you believe someone is trying to commit fraud and/or if you think you may have provided personal or account information in response to a fraudulent email or Web site, report the incident immediately, change your passwords and monitor your account activity frequently. TCB will never ask for your online banking password over the phone or email.
