Protecting Your Accounts in the Digital Age
It’s critical to be aware that no matter what time of year it is, we often see a steady stream of scams and account fraud, particularly those involving impersonation of the IRS, police, or even relatives, and phishing attempts designed to steal personal and financial information.
Here are some important tips that you can take to enhance the security of your login credentials and protect yourself from potential scams and account fraud:
- Use Unique and Complex Credentials
- Avoid reusing the same usernames and passwords across multiple accounts. Cybercriminals often exploit this common practice, and if they gain access to your login credentials for one account, they’ll try them on other accounts as well.
- Create strong and unique passwords (or passphrases, which are a type of password but each letter, number, or symbol stands for a specific word) for each account. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters (such as !, @, #, $, etc.). Avoid using easily guessable information like birthdates, anniversaries, or pet names.
- Regularly Update Your Login Credentials
- Security experts recommend updating your login credentials every 30-90 days. Regular updates help protect both you and Embold from unnecessary risks.
- Take advantage of any self-service features provided via Digital Banking for desktop or mobile app like depositing a check, making a transfer, or even applying for a loan.
- Keep Your Credentials Protected
- Never share your login credentials with anyone under any circumstances. This is crucial for safeguarding your information.
- Avoid sharing your digital banking login ID or password, account number, Secure Access Codes, security questions, or any other identifying information—even if someone claims to be from Embold.
- Don’t Engage on Social Media
- Do not comment if you ever see a post on social media that is intended to bait you into commenting a personal fact about yourself, such as the name of the street you grew up on, your favorite color, or even the make and model of your first car. Scammers can and will use this information to answer any security questions you have in place to protect your accounts anywhere.
- Never respond to a stranger that promises a reward or prize and asks for you to verify a code sent to your phone number. Scammers will also use this information to breach any sort of text message-based two factor authentication (2FA) protections you have enabled.
We’re committed to helping you protect your accounts and personal data against these fraudulent activities. Remember, taking these proactive steps will significantly reduce your vulnerability to scams and account fraud, and will enhance the security of your accounts at Embold.