Your Role in Cybersecurity: Help Us Keep Your Money Safe
Posted
on Monday, November 13, 2023
in
Security and Fraud Prevention
Identity theft and cyber scams will continue to be a threat that all consumers face, especially as technology continues to evolve. While banks implement robust security measures to protect consumers’ finances, it's crucial that consumers do everything they can to protect themselves from becoming victims.
“The partnership between consumers and banks in safeguarding money is more critical than ever,” said Jennifer Hass, Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Marketing at United Bank & Trust. “While banks play a pivotal role in safeguarding customers’ money and financial assets, it’s a shared responsibility. Cyber scams are a shared threat, and together we can help protect your assets from criminal activity.”
Here are five simple strategies all consumers can implement to protect themselves from fraud. These strategies, combined with United Bank & Trust’s security protocols, will help minimize consumers’ risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or other cyber scams.
- Create a strong first line of defense. The first step in protecting your finances is to use strong passwords and utilize multifactor authentication. Strong passwords include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Multifactor authentication provides an added layer of protection on top of your already strong password.
- Keep track of your finances. It’s important to check your financial accounts regularly to ensure there has been no suspicious activity. Utilize online statements to review your bank statements from your mobile phone or use Online Banking to regularly monitor your account’s transactions.
- Don’t share your personal information. Personal information should be kept personal. Be careful with whom you share this information. Additionally, always properly dispose of bank statements and other private documents to make sure they don’t end up in the wrong hands. A small household document shredded is a useful tool that can reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.
- Know how to spot phishing scams. Cyber criminals use phishing tactics to try to trick you into giving up personal information, including usernames and passwords. Do not click on links in emails or text messages, and never download attachments from unknown sources. If you are unsure if the message you received is legitimate, contact the company or individual directly to verify the message’s legitimacy, especially if the message you received is requesting sensitive information.
- Check your credit report annually. You can access your free credit report by visiting annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228. Check your report each year for inaccuracies and take steps to clean up any errors you find.
Preventing cyber scams and identity theft may sound intimidating, but working together with United Bank & Trust, you can significantly reduce your risk. Stay vigilant and remember that prevention is the best defense against identity theft.
If you have questions about the measures United Bank & Trust takes to keep your finances safe, contact us at (641) 753-5900. And if you think your United Bank & Trust account may have been compromised, report it immediately so that we can help rectify the situation.