Here’s a few helpful reminders that are always timely to consider.
- Never share personal information—including financial accounts—with anyone. Your credit union will never call you and ask you to disclose and/or verify this information (this includes personal data like your social security number or account PINs). Neither will a government agency like the Internal Revenue Service or your local police department.
- Only answer phone calls from numbers you recognize. If at any point you are uncertain about questions being asked or the call itself, hang up and call your credit union or the organization back using a phone number found through a trusted source, such as the company’s official website or a financial statement.
- Never open attachments or click on links from unknown individuals or companies as it could enable malicious software. In addition, never click on a link in a text alert that is warning you about suspicious activity on your credit card or bank account. Your financial institution or credit card company will not contact you in this way.
- Use strong passwords and change them often. Make sure you do not include personal information in your passwords and avoid recycling passwords.
- Utilize two-factor authentication for your financial accounts. This adds another layer of security to protect your personal information.
- Always ensure the security on your electronic and mobile devices is up to date.