Tips for Safe Payments

Change your security settings to enable multifactor authentication — which is a second step to securely verify who you are, like a text with a code — for any accounts or services you use that support it. For example, social media sites, online and mobile banking, credit cards, utilities and more.

Many banks and credit unions warn of suspicious activity on your account. Sign up for account alerts and contact your bank or credit union immediately if you suspect unauthorized activity.

Scammers can spoof calls and send emails that look like they are from your bank. Beware of clicking through links in emails, and never provide any information over the phone if someone stating they’re from your bank calls you. Hang up and call your bank at the phone number listed on the back of your bank-issued debit card or on the bank’s official website to verify it’s a legitimate communication.

Avoid sharing your location, home address, phone number and other personal information across social media. Check your settings and permissions on each social platform, and activate any additional security features available, like two-factor authentication (2FA). Also, don’t accept friend/connection requests from people you don’t know.

Don’t use the same password for every site. Online password managers will simply and securely store your passwords and will save you from having to remember dozens of them. And it goes without saying, but don’t share your passwords with anyone!

Using the free public Wi-Fi at your favorite neighborhood coffee shop may save you some gigabytes on your data plan, but it can come with risks. If you do log in to a public network, make sure you don’t log into any sites that contain sensitive personal information, like mobile online banking sites.