Keeping Your Personal Information Safe

Always keep in mind fraudsters are experts at tricking people and they are skilled at making you believe they’re contacting you from your bank or credit union. They do their research, they know how the financial institutions operate and do their best to pose as a representative to access your personal information, including your debit and credit card numbers, and most importantly, your online banking password.

Once fraudsters have obtained an online banking password, they can access the account, change the contact information and passwords and begin transferring funds using peer-to-peer payments. Examples of this include Zelle, Venmo, and Payzur just to name a few, and in comes social engineering at its finest. Another way they can attack is by using the card numbers they access to make large purchases.

While it’s scary to think about the different ways fraudsters can prey on your finances, keep in mind there are several things you can do to prevent this from happening. In addition to the usual culprits mentioned above, think about what you’re sharing on social media as well. Some of the question and answer games could give fraudsters the information they need to gain access to your online accounts, banking and otherwise.