Protect Your Identity

It’s easy to remember to lock our doors and cars, but what about locking access to our personal information?  Identity protection is often put to the side until it actually happens to you.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime of the 21st century. December is National Identity Theft prevention and awareness month. The holiday season is a busy time of year for scammers.  Consumers are preoccupied with events, shopping and more which creates an opportunity for fraudsters. They may attain access to accounts, credit cards and social security information.  

Here are some helpful tips keep your personal information safe:

Choose unique passwords
Pick phrases that are easy for you to remember and add capital letters, numbers and symbols to bolster its strength and update passwords every 90 days. Avoid repeated passwords for different logins.
 
Use two-factor authentication when available
This safety measure sends a code to your phone or email for a two-step login process that ensures you’re the only person accessing your account and all pertaining sensitive information.
 
Avoid public Wi-Fi and computers
Avoid using public Wi-Fi and computers to access your banking app or any other account that can be susceptible to getting breached, like your email.
 
Sign up for alerts
Get notifications when a purchase above a certain dollar amount is made or whenever money is withdrawn from the account.
 
Never give out personal information
Unless you’re certain that you’re communicating with a trusted company, do not give any sensitive information over the phone. It may be a phishing scam.
 
Avoid clicking links in suspicious emails, text messages or landing pages
It’s best to type out the whole URL of the website you’re logging on to and avoid clicking on links found in emails if you’re not sure who they’re from.
 
Protect your devices from attack
Always use strong passwords. Use security software such as antivirus protection and firewalls. Keep your operating system and browsers up to date since these updates can fix security issues.
 
Only download the official banking app
Only use our official mobile banking app linked from our website to your Android or Apple app provider. Never download our app from an open source.
 
You can protect your private information with Provident’s Identity Theft Protection service. This service provides 24/7 monitoring of your accounts and personal information, as well as other family members, and offers you the most comprehensive and affordable tools to protect you against fraud.