Security
Tips to assist in protecting your information and transaction data
Information and Data Security
There are some things that you should undertake to help us in the protection of your information and transaction data.
These include:
- Protection of your Member Number and Access Code
- Fraudulent Emails.
- Logging In and Out
- Virus/Spyware Protection
Protection of your Member Number and Access Code
To access your account you will need to use your member number and your access code, that is, your personalised “password”. Your password is the first line of security in accessing your account via the internet. You should always keep your password secret and not disclose it to anyone under any circumstances.
When choosing your password, you should remember:
- Your password must be 8 - 12 characters in length
- Your password must contain at least 2 numeric digits
- Your password must be changed at least every 6 months although we recommend changing it at least every month
- You cannot reuse a password that you have used within the past 18 months
- Do not use card numbers, dates of birth, vehicle registrations, telephone numbers or other words or numbers that can be easily linked to you
- Never write down your password even if it is disguised
- Try not to use your password on unknown computers especially internet cafes
Fraudulent Emails
Be cautious of emails that have a link to a website or Internet Banking site that asks you to enter your personal details, your member number and password or your credit or debit card details. Although they appear genuine, they could be dummy sites.
- Only use a link within an email if you are absolutely certain that it is from a reliable source
- Do not open an emails where you do not know the sender or source and don’t be duped by great offers that are to good to refuse and think twice about forwarding these to friends
- If you receive a suspicious email, do not act on the instructions contained in the email
- Do not reply to spam email as this may “invite” them to keep sending them to you
- Do not reply to emails that ask you for your personal banking details.
Logging In and Out
When logging into Internet Banking you should only ever use the link within our website. You should only access our website via the Address Bar in the internet or via your previously saved favourites. Never access it via a link within an email.
When accessing internet banking, you should notice that the address has changed from http:// to https:// This means that you are entering a secure site.
After you have logged into Internet Banking, you should notice a closed padlock symbol on the bottom of your web browser. If you not see this symbol you should log out immediately and contact the credit union.
Once you are finished with Internet Banking, you should log out immediately. This will not allow any other persons to access your account should you leave the site open and walk away from your computer. If in the event you fail to log out, we will automatically log you off after 15 minutes of no activity.
Virus/Spyware Protection
A computer virus attaches itself to another program, but changes the action of that program so that the virus is able to spread. Anti virus software is designed to protect your computer against known viruses, worms and Trojans. A Trojan is a program disguised as something harmless, such as a screen saver, which contains code that may allow an intruder to take control of your computer without your knowledge.
New viruses are appearing on a daily basis. It is important to protect your computer with up to date antivirus software and to update your software on a regular basis. Scan all new emails and programs before opening or installing them and preform a full system scan at least weekly to ensure that no viruses have infected your pc.
Spyware is the collective name given to software that is installed on your computer to obtain information and send it back to another source without your knowledge. Spyware programs are generally installed through a virus or other software installations eg “freeware” programs. Some antivirus software will locate spyware and remove it for you but you may also need a spyware remover program.
