With more financial transactions taking place online, you might be concerned about online security. At Mission Federal Credit Union, your success is our bottom line, so we work hard to keep your money, your accounts and your personal information safe. While we work hard to protect you on our end, it’s important that you maintain safe and secure practices to help keep your information and money secure.
What are the best practices when accessing your financial information online? First, be careful about where you log in. If possible, avoid logging in on shared Wi-Fi to any account you want to remain secure. You absolutely shouldn’t log in to public Wi-Fi on your computer if you haven’t set up firewalls, anti-spyware software and anti-virus software. Your phone’s operating system should be secure as well before using it for things like Online Banking. At home, make sure that you change your routers default password, as well as incorporating encryption if available. Additionally, be careful about where and how you share information. Avoid sharing anything on social media that could be used to identify passwords, usernames or security questions, and be certain you log out of secure sites when you’re finished to minimize the chance of getting hacked.When it comes to passwords, make sure to use different ones for each site requiring them. You want your passwords to be difficult to guess, so don’t incorporate anything obvious like the names of loved ones, schools or pets, or important dates. Try to incorporate at least eight varied characters including a combination of numbers, special characters and upper and lower case letters. And remember, Mission Fed won’t ask for your passwords or access codes, so if someone asks for those, you know it’s a scam.Finally, don’t fall for scams that appeal to your emotions and claim to help you or people in need. If you see a suspicious email with very little information—even if it appears to have come from someone you know—verify first and don’t click any links, open any attachments or respond with any information. If someone calls you and claims to need important information, verify the source before providing anything. A legitimate source won’t threaten you or ask for secure information over the phone or email. Even if they claim that you or someone you care about is in trouble, it’s essential to check the source before providing anything. If it sounds suspicious or too good to be true, it usually is. Learn more about common scams and tips for spotting them on our website in the Member Security Awareness section.You can trust Mission Fed to prioritize your financial security. We’re proactive about incorporating new security technologies to safeguard your information and funds, and we perform annual security audits to make sure our Online Banking technology is up to date. We only work with vendors who perform security audits we can review, too. At Mission Fed, we put people before profit and we’re willing to invest in your security. Do your part to keep your information secure, and together, we can help keep your money and your identity safe.
