Security Tips

Scams | Security | Safety

It is important to keep your hard-earned money safe. Whether you are concerned about online banking security or the traditional banking security threats, you'll find help here. We'll cover tips for safe online banking, ways to avoid identity theft, and more.

PIN - Personal Identification Numbers - PIN Number Tips
Personal identification numbers (PINs) are security features. Often referred to as PIN numbers (yes, it's redundant), PINs are important to keeping your money and your information safe. Picking a good PIN number and remembering it is easy if you use a few tricks.

Five Ways to Bank Safely at the ATM This Holiday Season
ATM convenience is essential for hectic shoppers to get quick cash this holiday season. While Americans make more than 11 billion ATM transactions annually, December is always the busiest month for ATM usage. When ATM transactions increase, so do fraud, ID theft and crime at the ATM.

Skimming Scams
Don’t fall prey to ATM skimming scams. Scammers can quickly read a card’s information and use it to access your account fraudulently. With a small device, your card’s information gets stored so that criminals can easily get to it later. This page covers how the scams work and how you can avoid getting stung.

Vishing Scams
What's a vishing scam? When you’re online and somebody asks you to “update your account information”, you probably don’t even think twice. It’s a scam 99% of the time. But what if you get a phone call?

Government Mandated Free Credit Report
U.S. laws require that consumers be entitled to a free credit report each year. Don't be tricked into signing up for a subscription service -- or worse, a phishing scam. Keep an eye on what's happening with your credit.

What to Do if Your Bank Is Destroyed - Preparation
We all think of a bank as the safest place for our money. What happens if the bank is destroyed (by natural disaster, an accident, or terrorism)? Hopefully your institution will be prepared for any problems. If not, you can at least put some safeguards in place to minimize your suffering.

5 Scariest Things for Your Money
Managing your money can be scary. If you’re not careful, you can wind up wasting your savings and energy in a fiendish nightmare. This page reveals the five scariest things out there for your money.

How to Detect, Prevent, and Recover From Phishing Scams
To protect yourself, you need to know exactly how phishing scams work and how to avoid becoming a victim. This article covers common tricks used in phishing scams, and gives you tips on detecting fraudulent emails. Also, we'll cover the steps that victims of phishing scams need to take.

Cashier's Check Fraud - How to Spot Cashier's Check Fraud
Cashier’s check fraud is one of the most popular crimes in the internet age. Once thought to be safe, cashier’s checks now require extra attention from sellers. Make sure you know all the red flags of cashier’s check fraud so you can avoid expensive scams.

What to do in a Bank Robbery
Bank robbery is too common in the US. If you’re ever in the bank when there is a bank robbery, you need to know how to handle yourself. A few simple tips will help you survive the incident and perhaps catch the robber.

Credit Card Fraud - Credit Card Phone Activation Scam
Credit card fraud is always advancing. Scammers have found a way around the requirement that you activate credit cards from your home phone number.

7 Steps to ATM Security
While ATM's have added some convenience to our lives, a few risks have also popped up. ATM's give criminals another opportunity to get at your money, and you should take steps to reduce your risk. Most of us can stay out of trouble with simple common sense, but you should periodically review some proven tactics. Follow these seven steps, and you'll improve your odds against the scamsters.

Test Your Computer's Security
This site offers a wealth of information on securing your computer in order to minimize the threat of identity theft and unauthorized account access. Start with the ShieldsUp test, which will let you know where your computer's vulnerabilities are.

Qchex - What to do With Qchex Checks
Qchex is a service that allows people to send checks from their computer. If you received a Qchex check, you may be wondering if it’s good or if it’s a scam. This page will help you avoid Qchex fraud and avoid expensive mistakes.

ATM Scams - Hidden Cameras
See how this scam can capture your card and PIN number. Thieves use a hidden camera and card 'skimmer'. After reading this, you'll know what to look for.

Fifteen Tips for Protecting Your Identity
This concise resource will help you make it hard for identity thieves to steal your identity.

Identity Theft
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has created this extensive resource to help you avoid identity theft. Perhaps more importantly, they give you step-by-step instructions on how to fix ID theft after it happens.

Online Banking Security Tips
This is a friendly introduction to online banking security. It compares online banking security to traditional banking security issues.

Unbanked
Definition of unbanked. The unbanked are people without bank accounts