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Ten Tips to Online Security
Internet security is frequently in the news. If your personal computer (PC) doesn't have adequate security, others may gain unauthorized access to the information stored on your PC and/or your PC's browser; and, with this information, they may also gain unauthorized access to your accounts and personal information. You should take precautions to protect your PC from unauthorized access and use.
Here are a few tips to help you safeguard your personal and account information when using the Internet and online services:
- Install anti-virus and spyware-detection software, and a firewall and update on a regular basis, as recommended by the software providers. Remember, new viruses continue to be created. And, by keeping anti-virus and anti-spam software up-to-date, it makes it more difficult for scammers to access your personal and account information. Always check to make sure the security software is running before accessing the Internet. And back up important files to a disk to protect them from viruses.
- Keep your PC and browser updated with patches that are released by your system vendor. Be sure to download patches only from official vendors' Web sites, and not from third-party Web sites.
- Do not respond to emails, Web pages or telephone inquiries requesting you to verify your account information. Navy Federal will never ask you to verify your account information, user name or password via an email using a non-secure Web site. Never provide personal or account information or respond to any attempt to collect this information. Forward all suspicious emails to us at phishalert@navyfederal.org, and to your Internet Service Provider. To learn more, see Phishing Emails and When Navy Federal Emails You
- Use "strong" passwords and NEVER share your password with anyone—even someone you know. At Navy Federal, you can select your own online password and change it as often as you'd like. It is good practice to change all your passwords every 30-60 days. Choose an alphanumeric password that contains a mix of numbers and letters. Random characters—including upper and lowercase letters—can help and the longer the password the better. Do not use numbers or words that can be easily guessed (such as your phone number, street address or child's name).
- Protect your personal information. It's valuable. Be choosy and limit the amount of personal information you give to a site. Be sure to treat your Social Security Number with care and read the site's privacy statement.
- Look beyond the logo. Fraudulent emails or Web sites can appear legitimate as scammers often include actual logos and images they have stolen from Navy Federal. They also convey a sense of urgency, stating that if you fail to provide, update or verify your personal or account information, access to your accounts will be suspended. Be sure to look beyond the logo and NEVER give out your information.
- Use your spam filter. If your email service offers spam filters, be sure to take advantage of them. They can greatly minimize the number of fraudulent emails and spam that shows up in your inbox. Also, many email providers give you a way to mark an email as spam which helps your filter detect and fight spammers.
- Type, don't click. If you do open a suspicious email, don't click on any links. By clicking on the links, you could unknowingly download a virus or spyware to your computer. Even if you think the email is legitimate, type Web addresses into your browser instead of clicking on links. If the email is from an institution you do business with, create bookmarks to visit the Web site.
- Delete emails from unknown senders with nonsensical information or typos in the subject lines.
- Protect your credit card when shopping online. When you get to the screen where you enter your credit card number, make sure there is an "s" (stands for "secure") after the http in the Web address. For example, https. Secondly, check to see if there is a tiny locked padlock in the bottom right of the screen. Lastly, if you're not familiar with the company, try to confirm a physical address, not just a P.O. Box.
Navy Federal Credit Union is committed to ensuring that your account information via the Internet is safe. We take all possible steps to establish a secure, encrypted connection after you enter your Account Access sign-on information and click on the sign-on button, on Navy Federal's home page. We ask that you, too, help protect your PC and account information.
Information on ID Theft, Security Breaches, Fraud and Phishing
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