Your Safety is our Top Priority!
Here are a few tips to keep you and your information safe.
Fraud & Safety Tips
- Never write down your passwords or social security number. Also, don’t carry your social security card on you unless absolutely necessary.
- Don’t access your financial accounts online at public kiosk locations like those found in hotels and airports.
- Never give personal or financial data over the phone unless you initiated the phone call.
- Don't email personal or financial data. Email is not a secure method of transmitting sensitive information.
- Shred receipts after receiving cash from the ATM. Never throw them away at the ATM location.
- Using GTE Online Banking and Bill Pay eliminates having
your paper checks and statements in the mail.
- Carry minimal cards and report any lost or stolen ones immediately. Keep a list of all your credit card issuer’s contact numbers in a safe location.
- Shred financial information including pre-approved credit applications, bills, and credit/debit card receipts before throwing them away to keep safe from dumpster diving.
- Open a Go Premium with GTE Secure Checking Account to receive Credit File Monitoring, 3 in 1 Credit Reporting, and Identity Theft Protection.
- Try to keep an eye on your credit/debit card and driver's license whenever you hand them to restaurant servers or store clerks.
- Review your account statements as soon as you receive them or log in to your accounts regularly to watch for unauthorized charges.
- Beware of mail or telephone offers specifically looking for your credit/debit card number.
Internet Safety & Security Tips
- Create strong usernames and passwords and keep them secret. Make them at least 8 characters and include lower and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Don’t use the same password for all sites. If your username or password can be found in a dictionary, it is too simple and should be changed to something more complex and unique.
- Keep all software current with recommended automatic updates.
- Use and regularly update your firewall, antivirus, anti-spam, and antispyware software.
- Password-protect your wireless connection at home.
- Look for signs that a web page is safe before you enter sensitive, personal information:
- A web address with HTTPS – the ‘S’ means secure
- A padlock icon beside the web address
- When shopping online, do not check the "remember my password" box. It is safer not to keep this information on your computer.
- Never give sensitive info in response to an email or instant message request.
- Think twice before you open attachments or links in emails, even if you know the sender, and be especially careful clicking links or buttons in pop-up windows.
- Beware of alarmist messages, misspellings, and grammatical errors, deals that sound too good to be true, and request for your personal info.
- Make use of the account and privacy settings on social networks like Facebook to control who can see your profile and learn how to block unwanted access.