PROTECTING YOURSELF WHEN THERE ARE NO RED FLAGS

PROTECTING YOURSELF WHEN THERE ARE NO RED FLAGS

June 1, 2023

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE – this includes preventing fraud even when there are no signs of it happening.

Privacy breaches can be a nightmare to deal with and have rippling effects across a person’s life. They are becoming more frequent as technology improves and knowledge spreads, but here are a few things you can do to prevent this from happening to you.

CHOOSE STRONG PASSWORDS AND CHANGE THEM REGULARLY.

When creating a password, avoid using names, important dates, and any other easily identifiable words. A combination of numbers, symbols, and three or four seemingly random words, like items you can see from your desk or out your window, make for those hard-to-crack passwords.

CHOOSE SECURITY QUESTIONS WISELY.

Choose questions that you will know the answer to but would be hard for even someone that knows you to guess. If you have a reliable memory, answers don’t necessarily have to be accurate to the question either.

SET UP DUAL AUTHENTICATION IF AVAILABLE.

SET UP ALERTS AND NOTIFICATIONS.

Ensure notifications come into your phone and/or email to alert you when:
Bill payments or e-transfers are made to know when money is moving out of your account.
There is a new bill payee/e-transfer recipient.
There is a recent login to let you know if someone else has logged in without your consent.
There is a password, PAC or security question change.

EVEN IF YOU DO ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, UNFORTUNATELY YOU MAY STILL BE TARGETED.

IF YOU REALIZE YOUR ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED, HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD DO:

First and foremost, stay calm!
If you still have access to your accounts, change your password and security questions as soon as possible. If not, lock yourself out by typing in something other than your password 4 times.
If you’re a YNCU member, contact our Service Excellence Centre at 1-888-413-YNCU, otherwise contact your Financial Institution to report it as soon as possible. If outside business house, leave a voicemail and follow up the next business day if you have not been contacted.
Contact Equifax (1-800-465-7166) and Trans-union (1-800-663-9980) to inform them as well. • Report to the Police – especially if there has been a loss. • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501).
Contact other authorities depending on what information