October Is Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, and the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) and Seneca Savings want consumers to be aware of valuable tips and advice on how to be safe online. ICBA and Seneca Savings encourages you to stay informed and become educated on how to prevent their financial information from being stolen and misused. Here’s a Cyber Security site that offers a ‘toolkit’ to help you be proactive online.

Cybercriminals are on the prowl looking for unsuspecting victims online to hijack sensitive financial information. ICBA and Seneca Savings provide consumers valuable tips when it comes to taking proactive cyber Security measures:

• Be sure to use unique passwords for all financial online accounts. Never share your password, account number, PIN or answers to security questions.
• Do not save credit or debit card, banking account or routing numbers, or other financial information, on your computer, phone or tablet.
• Be careful about using a password on mobile devices. Be sure to set your devices to automatically lock after a selected period of time to ensure no one can access your smartphone, tablet or laptop.
• Do not provide your secure financial information over the phone or Internet if you are unsure of who is asking for it. Contact your bank directly by using the phone number on the back of your debit or credit card, or stop in your bank to speak with someone in person. Remember, your bank will never contact or text you asking for personal or banking information. Assume any unsolicited text request is fraudulent.
• Be aware of the location of your mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) at all times. Only log on financial websites when you have a secure, safe and trusted Internet connection.

An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound of Cure

Being proactive is always a good thing. It’s better to overreact than underreact in the case of any cyber concerns. Contact your bank immediately if you think your online identity has been compromised. The sooner you alert proper authorities about suspicious activity, the sooner it can be resolved. If you have any questions about cyber crimes in general, our staff is here to provide answers.

It’s always smart to watch your Credit Score and the factors that go into determining it. Seneca Savings offers a free tool called CreditSense that makes this efficient and easy to do.

For additional information about Cyber Security, visit Stay Safe Online’s website at https://staysafeonline.org/news-press/press-release/data-privacy-day-reminds-organizations-protecting-privacy-concern-consumers-good-business/