What practices ensure safe online banking with First Entertainment Credit Union?
Whether you visit one of our branches, use our ATMs, or choose to experience the freedom and convenience of banking online, at First Entertainment Credit Union, our goal is to provide you with the best all-around banking experience.
To ensure that your finances are as safe as possible, we secure all of our online services. But what you do to help secure your finances is just as important. When you choose to have the freedom and convenience that comes with putting First Entertainment at your fingertips, there are some extra safety precautions that we suggest you put in place to protect yourself from viruses or cyber attacks:
- Information about your electronic transactions is provided within your monthly statements. To protect your accounts, we encourage you to regularly review your statements and account activity. Immediately notify First Entertainment Credit Union at 888-800-3328 of any error or unauthorized transactions.
- Keep an eye on your accounts online. Be sure to report anything that appears to be suspicious.
- If you suspect your First Entertainment accounts, user names, passwords, or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) have been compromised, contact the Credit Union immediately at 888.800.3328 and change your passwords.
Secure Your Home Wireless Network
- Change the factory-default services set identifier (SSID) from the wireless manufacturers default value. Intruders can access your network by using the known and commonly used default settings, which are published on the Internet.
- Do not share or communicate your SSID setting.
- Enable encryption: Wireless Protected Access – Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK) is the suggested encryption method for the home network.
- Use a software firewall on all devices connected to your network – computers and tablets. Prevent cyber attacks by enabling the personal firewall that came with your operating system; or, buy and install a separate personal firewall.
- Limit access to shared files and folders on your computers and tablets; set passwords on file shares and provide access only to authenticated users.
- More seasoned computer users may want to consider using a bootable operating system when conducting online transactions. You could configure a bootable system on a USB Flash Drive with only the services and applications needed to perform financial transactions with First Entertainment Credit Union. When you need to access the online banking system to initiate electronic fund transfers, you would boot the “read-only” system on a USB Flash Drive attached to your computer. Any malware or spyware that may exist on your hard drive would not impact you in this scenario.
Secure Your Home Computer’s Software
- Install real-time updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer.
- Allow for automatic scanning and updates of all anti-virus and anti-spyware.
- Run anti-virus software on your computer after using a public Internet site or unsecured wireless connection.
Install Security Updates to Your Operating System and All Applications
- Keep your computer operating system up-to-date by allowing all updates on your security system to run.
- Install the latest software patches for your web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.).
Adopt Safe Email Practices
- Do not follow a link to a site through an email and then proceed to enter personal information, such as account numbers or passwords.
- To secure your transactions, open a new browser window and enter the URL of the trusted site.
- Do not open links or attachments contained in emails from unfamiliar sources.
- Beware of questionable emails: What look suspiciously like legitimate bank/credit union emails with legitimate logos and structured to look like the communications you typically receive from First Entertainment Credit Union, can be fake emails that direct you to questionable Internet addresses. Read carefully, and watch for incorrect spellings and poor grammar; and NEVER enter your password or personal information.
- Always delete emails with account-sensitive information, even if they contain only partial account identification information.
Create and Maintain Strong Passwords and PINs
- Don’t ever share your password or write it down.
- Make your passwords more secure by using the following combinations:
- Use a combination of letters and numbers. Typically, use a password that is at least 8 and not more than 20 characters, and use upper and lower-case letters.
- Do not use any obvious information as a password such as: zip code, year of birth, phone numbers, address, relative’s name, pet’s name or nicknames. And never use personal information, such as your Social Security number as a password.
- Do not click on the “Remember Me” option and avoid using password managers.
- Use individual passwords for each site.
- Change your passwords every 30 to 60 days.
- Choose to protect your other electronic devices such as tablets and phones from unauthorized access with passwords as well.
Practice Safe Computing
- Avoid using public computers when conducting any online banking transactions.
- Do not have multiple browsers open while banking online.
- Never leave your online banking account open while your computer is unattended.
- Always sign out (log off) after your online banking session and close out of your browser.
- Do not share any of your banking information to any other party or website.
- Consider using a dedicated computer for daily online banking activity.
- Disable file sharing software to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your computer.
- Be cautious about accessing sites if you are online through an unsecured or unprotected network.
- When banking and shopping online, check to make sure the site is security enabled: look for the web addresses with “https:// or shttp://”, which means the site takes extra measures to help secure your information: “http://” is not secure.
- Clear the browser cache and history before and after you make online banking transactions.
Safeguard Your Personal Information
- Never share any personal information, which includes: name and numbers for your Social Security account, driver’s license or identification card, bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards; mother’s maiden name, security codes, access codes, passwords, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), or any information that allows identification and access to your account(s).
- Examine your financial statements and/or account activity on all of your accounts: First Entertainment’s, credit cards, and investment statements on a monthly basis.
- Dispose of any sensitive documents by first shredding them.