Ways to ensure your account information remains protected

Every day people can find our information but we can take precautions to ensure that they are only granted essential access and nothing more.

09:32 08 October 2013

Protecting your banking accounts should be a priority for everyone. We need to protect ourselves from those with physical access to our account information as well as those with digital or electronic access. In a perfect world, the bank would provide all this security but the reality is different – you need to be proactive.

If you lose a bank card or credit card, if it is stolen, or you suspect fraud, alert your institution immediately so you won’t be held liable for the activity that occurs.

Here are a few other recommendations to help keep your bank card or credit card secure.

• Keep all bank cards or credit cards in an organised spot that is difficult for a pickpocket or thief to access without notice. Opt for zippers and compartments on the inside of a purse rather than on an outside pocket.

 

• Do not give out PIN numbers to anyone, and if you suspect someone knows your PIN, you should change it immediately. Changes can usually be made by phone and sometimes even by an automated phone system.

 

• Only give the CVV number on your card when requested. Many online and phone companies will request this number from you to ensure that you are in possession of the card. This should not be made common knowledge or stored on online accounts.

 

• You should not reply to any requests for your PIN, CVV or password information. If you forget login usernames and/or passwords you should follow the directions on the website, or a phone call to the official line may allow the information to be reset.

 

• Log out of all possible websites whenever you shop online or check your bank accounts. Hackers are able to use the stored information in your browser session sometimes to extract key information like your bank card and credit card numbers, CVVs, and even your login credentials.

 

• Whenever possible change passwords to websites such as your bank account site every 90 days to ensure a higher level of data integrity.

Take precaution to guard against theft of your account information. It is better to be safe than sorry.