The increased speed and convenience offered by the internet also comes with increased risk. Every day, shady people develop new scams targeting the unsuspecting public—including you. Staying vigilant and protect yourself from fraud and identity theft with these helpful tips.
Prepare. Maintain a list of your card and account information and who to contact if your credit or debit card (or your entire wallet) is lost or stolen.
Review. Use Shine Online or Mobile Banking and eNotifier alerts to monitor your account.
Report. As soon as you see something that doesn’t belong, contact us.
Protect Your Personal Account
Following these guidelines and encouraging your family members to follow them will help you keep your household’s information safe in cyberspace.
Regularly check your accounts online and report any unauthorized transactions to Dupaco right away. Sign up for free text and email alerts on your accounts through Shine Online Banking to alert you of large purchase transactions, credit card transactions, or other account activity that may warrant your attention.
Regularly review your credit report to watch for signs of identity theft. Look for incorrect personal information, inquiries from lenders you don’t recognize and new accounts you didn’t open. You can access your credit report and score for free with Dupaco’s Bright Track.
Create passwords using a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols that do not contain sequences or repeated characters. Don’t use information that can be guessed, like your birth date or Social Security number. Change your password frequently. Don’t write it down or share it with others.
Emails and text messages are not secure, and they can be masked to look like they are coming from a trusted sender when they are actually from someone else. Do not send your personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords etc. via email or text message.
Only open files attached to emails when the email is from someone you know and trust. Opening attachments from unknown sources can allow harmful malware or viruses to be downloaded onto your computer. Make sure you have a good anti-virus program on your computer that is up-to-date.
Never click on or log in from a link that is embedded in an email message. Criminals can use fake email addresses and make fake webpages that mimic the page you would expect. Rather than clicking on a link in an email, open your internet browser and type the destination web address you know to be valid, such as www.dupaco.com or www.amazon.com.
Take time to verify that the webpage you’re visiting matches exactly with the URL that you’d expect. Cybercriminals have also been known to use web addresses that resemble the names of well-known companies but are slightly altered. Be aware that if you navigate to a website from a link you don’t type, you may end up at a site that looks like the legitimate site, when in fact it’s not. This is called phishing.
When you are ready to leave a site you have logged in to, log off rather than just closing the browser window.
Protect Your Commercial Account
For members with commercial/business accounts, we strongly recommend periodically evaluating your online risk and security controls, and enhancing security controls where weaknesses are found.
- Online access to business accounts. Who has access to accounts online? Are there dual controls in place as a system of checks and balances?
- Strength of online login credentials. Are usernames and passwords easily guessed? How often are they changed and where are they stored?
- Protection of data. Do you have a firewall in place to help protect against outside intrusion or hackers?
- Termination of access for former employees. Is online account access terminated immediately for former employees?
Your Rights and Responsibilities
It is important that you know your rights and responsibilities regarding unauthorized activity of your account(s). With respect to electronic fund transfers, the federal government has put in place rights and responsibilities for consumers and financial institutions regarding the investigation and resolution of disputes of charges. These rights and responsibilities are described in the Account Information Disclosures you received when you opened your account with Dupaco. This information is also available by calling us at 800-373-7600.
