4 things you can do in 30 minutes to protect your identity
Mar 08, 2021Fraud Prevention
In the time it takes to watch your favorite sitcom, you can take four simple steps that will help protect your account from fraud and identity theft.
Sign up for banking alerts in online banking and get notified of any suspicious activity on your account.
You can set up a variety of “alert” types, but some key alerts that will allow you to monitor your account best are:
- Transaction alerts
- Profile change alerts
- Credit and debit card alerts
- Account usage alerts
These types of alert give you a range of what kind of activity is going on in your financial accounts, and allow you to stay vigilant.
Sign up for a credit monitoring service, and be alerted when new lines or credit or changes in your credit report occur.
Bonus – we offer a free service, Savvy Money, that does just that - monitor your credit score! Sign up for SavvyMoney
in online or mobile banking.
Update your online banking credentials with a strong password.
Create a password that has more than eight characters and use a mix of letters, numbers and characters. Some of the most secure passwords are a passphrase (using a mix of letters,
numbers and characters) made up of three or four random words, which create added security. If two-factor authentication is available – use it! It’s another security safeguard that requires you enter a second piece of information that
only you have.
Place a “security freeze” on your credit report.
Shut out thieves before they cause damage by placing a security freeze on your credit reports at all three major credit bureaus: Equifax (www.equifax.com); Experian (www.experian.com);
and TransUnion (www.transunion.com). It will prevent anyone from looking at your credit report except for the companies that already have a financial relationship with you.
Remember, HAPO will never ask for your PIN, CVV code or online banking information. If you every receive a call from HAPO asking you to provide this information, hang up and call us back directly at 509-943-5676 or after hours at 844-436-1752.
Check out our fraud prevention library for more ways to protect
yourself and your family from fraud.
Fraud Prevention Library
Annie Jacobs
Integrated Marketing Specialist | HAPO Community Credit Union