Your Online Security

Preventing Identity Theft

As mentioned in our “Avoiding Phishing & Other Online Scams” letter, securing your identity and protecting your information involves a collaborative effort between you, your bank and other establishments you do business with who have access to your personal information. Implementing the following suggestions will make it extremely difficult for criminals to steal your identity. 

Online Tips

1. Never access your online bank account while you are using a Wi-Fi hotspot (a public wireless internet access). These hotspots are normally in coffee shops and college universities. 

2. NEVER respond to an email that appears to be sent to us but is asking for personal information (account number, social security number, address, etc.). We will NEVER send you emails asking you for information, without exceptions.  If you do receive an email that appears to be us but is asking for personal information, please forward your email to customerservice@catlabank.com. The bank’s policy is to only ask for personal information through regular mail.

3. Make sure your computer is running an anti-virus program AND anti-spyware program. Examples of an anti-virus program include Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee Anti-Virus, and Trend Micro PC-Cillin. Examples of anti-spyware programs include Webroot Spysweeper, Lavasoft Ad-Aware, and Windows Defender. These programs will make sure software isn’t located on your machine that may log your keystrokes.

4. If you suspect your account has been breached, contact us immediately so we can investigate the incident in a timely fashion.

5. Make sure you have the most recent browser version.  Examples of browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. 

6. Make sure you update your operating system (normally Microsoft Windows) when it asks you to.

Tips Outside the Internet

1. Shred any documents that have personal information on them, including account numbers, credit card numbers, social security number, etc.

2. Do not keep your social security card or birth certificate with you. Keep them in a safe place such as a safe deposit box.

3. Never give out personal information over the phone unless you know the person you are speaking with is legit.

4. If you receive credit card offers in the mail, don’t just throw them in the trash. Tear them up good or shred them.  These can be used by someone else to steal your identity.

5. Lock your mailbox. Make sure you take your mail out of your mailbox every day. Don’t leave checks to pay your bills in your mailbox. Drop them off at the post office.