We are able to access all of our banking features at the touch of a button. With these capabilities also comes those who wish to take advantage of it.

There are many different types of online scams that you will encounter, but one of the most common and one of the most dangerous, is Phishing. The first thing that we need to find out is, what is Phishing? In definition, Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals impersonate legitimate organizations via email, text message, advertisement or other means in order to steal sensitive information. This is usually done by including a link that will appear to take you to the company’s website to fill in your information, but the website is a clever fake and the information you provide goes straight to the criminals behind the scam. Phishing is a type of scam that is everywhere in todays day and age. Given these facts, naturally one of the biggest questions that people have while using online banking is "how do I protect myself?"

How do I protect myself?

Even though there are risks and scams online, protecting yourself is much easier than you may think. Fake emails are one of the most common ways that you can be taken advantage of online. Most email providers do a good job at filtering out spam email, but sometimes scam emails still get through to our main inbox. One of the biggest ways that scammers get your information is by disguising a malicious website into a link. If the source you are getting this link from is not a trusted source, then it should be treated as being potentially dangerous. Typing in the link yourself into your search bar is the best way to ensure that you are going to the website that you are intending to get to, and if you weren't expecting a certain link to be sent to you, it's best to avoid clicking it. You can never be too careful on the internet, and when it comes to online banking, always take extra precaution. Always remember to keep your passwords safe and secure and never use the same password on multiple sites. A helpful tip we were given is to make the password even stronger by using the first letter of each word in a short song lyric. If you can follow these tips, then you can sleep in peace at night knowing that your information is safe and secure.

For a more in depth review you can always check out our good friend Banzai's article on Recognizing and Avoiding Scams.

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