Seven Tips to Protect Yourself Online with Better Passwords

The good news? Creating strong passwords doesn’t require advanced technical skills. With a few smart habits, you can dramatically reduce your risk of fraud, identity theft, and account takeovers. Below are seven proven best practices to help you create stronger passwords and remember them without frustration.

1. Use Long Passwords or Passphrases

• Aim for 12–16 characters or more.
• Consider a passphrase made of several unrelated words.
  • Example: RiverSunsetCoffeeBike!

2. Never Reuse Passwords Across Accounts

• Use a unique password for every important account, especially:
  • Online banking
  • Email
  • Payment apps
  • Retail and subscription services

3. Avoid Personal or Predictable Information

• Names of family members or pets
• Birthdays or anniversaries
• Phone numbers or addresses
• Common substitutions like P@ssw0rd

4. Mix in Capital Letters and Symbols to Make Passwords Stronger

• Capitalize letters in uncommon places (not just the first letter)
• Add symbols like ! @ # $ % where they feel natural
• Replace spaces in passphrases using symbols.
  • Example: River!Sunset#Coffee$Bike

5. Use a Password Manager (and Let It Do the Heavy Lifting)

• Use a reputable password manager to:
  • Generate strong passwords automatically.
  • Store them securely
  • Autofill logins safely

6. Add Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Wherever Possible

• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on important accounts.
• This may include:
  • A one-time code sent to your phone
  • A biometric login (fingerprint or face ID)
  • An authenticator app

7. Change Passwords When There’s a Reason — Not Just a Notice

• A company reports a data breach.
• You receive an alert that your credentials were exposed.
• You notice suspicious account activity.

Final Thought: Strong Passwords Are All About Peace of Mind

Looking for more resources for preventing fraud and avoiding scams, check out our Fraud Prevention page.

Password Security Check

Why Is This Important?

How Does Password Security Check Work?

What’s the Benefit To Me?

Who at the Bank Can Access my Password?

When Will Password Security Check Be Active?

Want to Know More about Creating and Using Stronger Passwords?

Source:
¹https://cybernews.com/security/password-leak-study-unveils-2025-trends-reused-and-lazy/

Financial Fraud Attempts Growing

Data breaches, unfortuanately, have become a common occurance in this modern world.  High-severity breaches include sensitive data such as social security numbers and passwords. With so many of these instances, it is essential to review your statements and monitor your accounts regularly. 

At the Bank, we continue to see the number of attempts by fraudsters to gain access to client accounts grow. They use the information found on the dark web from the hundreds of data breaches to impersonate the customer on the phone. (This is why we go to such lengths to accurately identify you when you call into our Customer Care Team.) Or with that info, fraudsters can sometimes guess the client’s ID and password for online banking, which they will then use to transfer funds or send payments to fake businesses.

How can you best protect yourself from these scenarios?

• Check your statements routinely and call the Bank if you see any irregularities.
• Use long passwords with at least ten characters and a mix of alphanumeric characters (A, b, 1, 9) using upper and lower case and symbols (@, $, %, *).
• Never use the same passwords on multiple sites.
• Speak to a banker to set up a security challenge pass-phrase that must be shared before making any changes to account(s).
• Never use your mother’s maiden name or other easily obtained information for passwords or security phrases. These can be found on genealogy sites or learned from your social media. 
• Update the Bank with your current contact info, particularly your cell phone number.  This helps us contact you faster if we notice something odd with your account.
• Those fun quizzes on social media about “have you ever” or trivia contests – don’t do it. Those are often collection points for hackers to gain extra info about you. 

 Other tips and resources for protecting against financial fraud are available here.
Fraud Protection Tips

If you ever notice something odd or feel your account may have been compromised, please always contact the Bank immediately. 

 Ashland: 573-657-0849  |  Columbia: 573-447-1771  |  Fulton: 573-642-3322  |  Mokane: 573-676-5711
Or Reach Any Locations Using: 800-446-2265

As a Missouri business owner, navigating the complexities of business regulations is challenging. Now, there’s a new law in effect that every owner needs to know about: the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). While the thought of tackling another requirement may feel daunting, rest assured that The Callaway Bank’s Business Banking Team is here to guide you through the process.  

Helpful CTA Links for Missouri Business Owners

• BOI Overview   
• Where to File: BOIR E-Filing System Site 
• BOI Small Business Resources Page 
• BOI FAQs Page 
• Small Entity Compliance Guide  
• CTA Bill  
• Exempted Entities List 

What Is the Corporate Transparency Act?  

Effective January 1, 2024, the CTA is designed to increase corporate accountability. The law introduces a critical requirement that many businesses must comply with — the Beneficial Owner Information Report (BOIR). The goal is to boost transparency in business operations to prevent fraud and illegal activities like money laundering. 

Review CTA Reporting Requirements  

What Is the Beneficial Owner Information Report?  

As the key component of CTA, BOIR involves providing important details about the company’s beneficial owners. While the specifics vary based on the type of ownership, it typically includes names, addresses, and other identifying and trackable details. The report must be filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by the specified submission date.  

View All BOIR Submission Deadlines

How Does It Impact Your Missouri Business?  

The CTA has far-reaching implications for a wide range of Missouri businesses. Understanding how it impacts your organization is crucial for ensuring compliance and avoiding potential legal and financial consequences. Here are a few key points:  

• Who Must File: Most entities registered with the state are required to file a BOIR.  
• Filing Deadlines: These vary based on when the business was officially established.   
• Exemptions: There are exemptions, including 23 types of entities.  

For qualifying businesses, compliance is crucial. Failing to meet the CTA reporting requirements can result in legal and financial repercussions.   

Learn More About CTA Exemptions  

How Fraudsters Are Leveraging It  

With new regulations come new opportunities for fraudsters. There are reports of spammers exploiting the CTA by posing as regulatory bodies or legal entities to extract sensitive information from unknowing businesses. They might trick business owners using emails, phone calls, or fake websites. It’s vital to verify the legitimacy of any request for company information and be cautious of unsolicited communication related to the CTA.  

Contact The Business Banking Team

A Business Guide to Scam & Fraud Prevention

Building a thriving business requires juggling multiple tasks and demands at once. Modern fraudsters attempt to target the busyness of day-to-day operations with deceptive account tactics that are easy to overlook, like fake invoices. Fortunately, by understanding how these thieves work, you can get ahead of their tactics and prevent business banking fraud.

Common Types of Business Fraud Tactics

From small sole proprietorships to large, corporate enterprises, companies typically have a consistent flow of accounts receivables and payables. These steady movements are a prime target for fraudsters looking to prey on businesses.

Invoice Fraud

A common risk is thieves posing as legitimate companies and sending invoices for goods or services that the business never received. In some cases, the bill may utilize a new company name in an industry that the recipient regularly utilizes, preventing it from standing out. Alternatively, the fraudsters may choose to identify as a well-known brand that elicits trust, such as Best Buy or PayPal.

When slipping under the radar isn’t effective, the fraudsters move on to scare tactics. For example, they may follow up a fake invoice with a late payment notice, threatening additional fees and even legal action if not paid immediately. Such a warning can cause significant fear, leading to businesses paying the fake amount and losing money.

Phishing Scams

Phishing has become a top choice for fraudsters, resulting in over $52 million in losses each year. With email phishing, the scammers send emails that appear to be from legitimate sources, such as your bank. They often use enticing tactics, like special offers, or fear-based requests, such as verifying an account change that wasn’t made.

When you click a link, it takes you to a fraudulent page that mimics the real website, requesting log-in details. These cybercriminals then use your credentials to transfer funds to an outside account. They can also send out invoices to your clients posing as your business. When unsuspecting customers pay, the fraudsters reroute the funds to themselves.

5 Strategies to Prevent Business Banking Fraud

Fraudsters can access email and other contact details through a variety of methods, including harvesting software and third-party databases. Additionally, addresses for paper invoices are easily obtained through local business records. For these reasons, it’s challenging for businesses to avoid phishing attempts completely. However, you can stay a step ahead with a few strategic processes.

1. Track Vendors

Staying aware of the people and companies your business works with limits a cybercriminal’s options. As such, create a complete database of all the vendors you work with, along with contact information and an overview of what they provide to your team. Anytime a bill comes in that you don’t recognize, check to make sure the company is on the list.

2. Verify Invoices

When invoices do come in from familiar operations, always check that the bill is authentic. Avoid replying to the email or using the contact details provided. Instead, visit the company website or use the phone number you have on file to reach out to the brand and verify that the bill is real. Check with your team as well to make sure the services and products — and the accompanying amount — are correct and haven’t been paid already.

3. Monitor Finances Closely

Tracking movements of funds is an excellent way to spot discrepancies. Check all business banking accounts on a daily basis, and complete audits regularly to ensure that all transactions line up correctly. Additionally, set digital banking monitoring alerts to ensure unusual activity gets your attention immediately.

4. Train Staff

Our digital banking features allow businesses to add sub-users so that necessary individuals within your company can complete mandated tasks. While individual permissions can be set, it’s important to limit the number of users to reduce risk.

For those that do have access, make sure they’re properly trained on what to look out for, like transactions into or out of dormant accounts. All employees also need education on common email phishing tactics and their signs, such as spelling errors and odd formatting.

5. Stay Skeptical

In the digital age, fraudsters evolve their tactics incredibly quickly. As such, keeping your business secure requires always double-checking any incident that seems out of the ordinary. If unsure, reach out to your business banking team for a more in-depth review before approving any movement of money.

A Fraud Prevention Checklist for Business Banking Clients

☑ Enable Security Features
When logging on to digital banking for the first time, make sure to add your phone number and preferred contact method to receive your secure access code for multi-factor authentication.

☑ Keep Contact Information Up to Date
Let us get in touch quickly if we detect suspicious banking activity by regularly checking and updating your contact details.

☑ Set Up Alerts
Create custom alerts for each business account to catch unusual behavior as soon as it happens.

☑ Limit Digital Banking Access
Only select trustworthy individuals to have direct access, if necessary, and be sure to personalize their permissions based on the specific needs of their role.

☑ Create Internal Procedures
Prioritize fraud prevention training and education for the whole team, and put procedures in place to follow in the event suspicious activity does occur.

Rely on Secure Business Banking Services in Mid-Missouri

Successful fraud prevention begins with secure business banking services. At The Callaway Bank, we’re dedicated to keeping our clients protected across Columbia, Fulton, and surrounding areas throughout mid-Missouri. Our state-of-the-art fraud monitoring system automatically generates alerts for suspicious transactions. We also utilize a variety of enhanced security features for our digital banking services, including firewalls, multi-factor authentication, and encryption.

Enjoy the peace of mind of our secure banking services by reaching out to our Business Banking Team today!

Contact The Business Banking Team

In a world where fraud can target anyone, even the most informed and discerning individuals can become victims of cunning schemes. The following incident from a Callaway Bank client is a stark reminder of this unsettling reality and the importance of fraud prevention.

How Fraudsters Target Locals in Boone & Callaway Counties

Mary Quartermont, Assistant Vice President and Deposit Operations Manager at The Callaway Bank, has seen many unfortunate instances of good people conned out of their life savings. She shares a true story of an intelligent individual who fell into the clutches of a fraudulent scheme orchestrated through social media.

This victim was a widower who had recently lost his spouse and encountered a fraudster on Facebook posing as an investment agent with an impressive reputation. The scammer recognized that the victim was likely lonely. Over several months, they deftly built a bond with the gentleman, using shared interests and friendly conversations to establish trust.

As the relationship grew, the fraudster skillfully persuaded the victim to invest funds under the pretense of lucrative opportunities. They even produced a fake account that showed they were making money for their clients. These con artists often create fake websites and social media personas to help convince their victims that everything they say is legitimate.

How Bankers Identify Potential Fraud

The scammer gave detailed instructions on wiring the funds to be invested. Knowing that the bank would ask about details of the wire, the victim was coached on what to say to help navigate the bank’s scrutiny and evade detection. “Tell them you’re helping a family member out, or it’s going to one of your kids, etc. That will steer the bank from suspicion of fraud,” the fraudster explained.

However, the keen-eyed team at The Callaway Bank detected inconsistencies in the transaction, prompting a thorough investigation. At first, the client was insistent that he knew this individual and that they would not scam him or cause him financial harm. Despite initial reluctance from the targeted gentlemen, the evidence revealed the scheme’s true nature. The victim had unwittingly fallen for a clever ploy, capitalizing on their emotional vulnerability and desire for a good investment.

It is vital to understand that falling prey to such deceit does not reflect the victim’s shortcomings. These con artists employ sophisticated tactics that can ensnare individuals from all walks of life, all ages, and all levels of education, regardless of their technological expertise.

How to Protect Yourself From Fraudsters

The Callaway Bank urges customers to remain vigilant and seek support if they encounter suspicious situations. Seeking advice from trusted family members, bankers, or close friends can act as a defense against these insidious practices and ensure fraud prevention.

This cautionary tale reminds us that fraudsters are adept at manipulating situations and emotions, making it essential for individuals to remain cautious and informed to protect themselves from potential scams. No one is exempt from the risk, and staying alert is the first defense against these cunning perpetrators.

If you experience a suspicious interaction, don’t hesitate to contact us for further review.

Contact Us

How to Protect Yourself From Encrypted Email Fraud

Modern email services offer valuable anti-fraudulent features, like identifying and removing spam. Yet, as the software has evolved, so have the threats. Today’s fraudsters are taking advantage of the peace of mind provided by state-of-the-art security techniques, like encrypted email messages, to steal your information, such as credit card log-ins and banking credentials. 

Thankfully, learning about their latest deceptive tactics can help you stay protected. 

[Read More: How Much is Your Information Worth?]

Why Encrypted Emails Still Pose Risks

Encryption is a digital process that shields information from non-intended parties. In the case of email, it scrambles the details in the message to prevent scammers from accessing the data as it travels from the sender to the recipient — and all the servers in-between. 

While encryption is effective at blocking outside spectators, fraudsters have learned how to get an insider’s view. The thieves gain access to a compromised email — either by tricking the user to click an unsafe link or downloading a nefarious file. They may also purchase their details from other spammers if it is already jeopardized. 

Once inside the account, they send encrypted messages to contacts in their address book. Typically, the email requests the recipient to follow a link. Since the message is from a known user and is encrypted, readers often feel comfortable enough to interact. The resulting landing page appears normal and asks them to log-in, which then allows the fraudsters to gain access to their credentials without them ever knowing. 

How to Protect Yourself From Email Scams

After getting into your email, spammers can reuse the trick on your address book, putting all of your contacts at risk for fraud. They can also use the access to request or alter log-in credentials for other accounts, like changing your banking password. As such, it’s essential to take additional steps to keep your details safe. 

Multi-Factor Authentication

This email scam relies on a single access point to your email account. For that reason, adding an additional layer of proof to log-in can block their movements. Multi-factor authentication requires providing an access code or other acknowledgement sent to a separate device or tool, like a text message, before you can log in. Enabling it on your email accounts — as well as banking accounts — can prevent fraudulent access. 

Contact the Sender

Not opening links or media from unknown sources has become common knowledge. However, since the latest fraud efforts rely on known contacts, it’s important to now use the same level of apprehension when receiving emails from people in your address book. If the message is unexpected, reach out to the contact using another form of communication to verify that they actually sent it before interacting with the email. 

Staying Fraud Free With The Callaway Bank

We understand just how quickly fraud can happen. That’s why we’ve implemented a variety of enhanced security features for our banking accounts, including encryption, firewalls, and multi-factor authentication. We also have a comprehensive list of resources in our Fraud Prevention Center. 

Additionally, our customer care team is available to answer your questions and provide guidance. 

Contact Us

What Homeowners Need to Know About Reducing Mortgage Mail Fraud

Whether you’re closing on a home or purchased it decades ago, receiving regular updates from your lender is expected throughout the duration of the mortgage. Unfortunately, third-party companies have begun targeting this relationship and sending out large amounts of home loan-based junk mail. These postcards and letters often appear to be from your mortgage lender or another official organization, which can cause confusion and even put you at risk for fraud. Here’s a closer look at who’s sending these documents and how to stop it.

Read More: How to Reduce Mortgage Junk Mail

Where Are These Mortgage Postcards & Letters Coming From?

Some of the companies behind the junk mail are legally legitimate businesses, such as financial lenders and warranty companies. However, they often utilize deceptive practices to get the attention of homeowners across Boone and Callaway counties, such as printing the originating bank’s name on the postcard and adding an account number. Fraudsters also follow the same strategy but operate completely illegally. For example, they may pose as the bank itself.

 The goal of these documents is usually always financial, but they go about it in a few different ways.

The goal of these documents is usually always financial, but they go about it in a few different ways. They may suggest important documents need filing or a payment is due or past due, requesting that you call them as soon as possible. Offering help to prevent foreclosure is another common tactic, along with mortgage modifications, like promise of a lower interest rate.

In most cases, they present just enough detail to lure the homeowner into contacting them in order to convince the homeowner to sign up for an unnecessary service or refinance with their company, which is usually accompanied by substantial fees. If there’s not a legitimate business behind it, the fraudsters may request a wire transfer or pre-emptive payment to steal funds directly.

How Do They Get Homeowner Information?

Applying for a mortgage involves providing an incredible amount of personal detail. At The Callaway Bank, we keep all these details private and protected, never sharing or distributing the data to non-affiliates. However, the purchase becomes public record at closing. As a result, elements included in the deed transfer are easily obtainable through the state or local recorder’s office, including name and location of property. Third parties can pull the information and sell it to other companies or use it themselves for mailers.

New loans, like a mortgage, are also reported to the main credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, Equifax, and Innovis. Unfortunately, these credit bureaus often sell personal data to third parties. As such, other companies can pay to access your details, like age, property information, and lender name, and use it for their own gain.

How to Identify Third-Party Loan Mailers in Mid-Missouri

A major challenge with mortgage junk mail is that the third-party companies replicate the look of official documents. Luckily, there are a few common signs that indicate potential spam or fraudulent materials.

Bright Colors

Typically, banking documents are printed on white or neutral backgrounds. Third-party mailers, on the other hand, may utilize bright colors to catch your attention. Approach red, yellow, and other abnormal shades with caution.

Incorrect Account Information

It’s also common for these documents to list an account number, which makes them appear official. However, it’s seldom the same as the actual home loan account. As such, always be sure to check the number before taking any further steps.

 For that reason, prominent words on the postcard or envelope are likely to evoke panic, like “important”, “urgent”, “time sensitive”, and “final notice”.

Alarming Terms

These home loan mailers are designed to prompt the reader to action. For that reason, prominent words on the postcard or envelope are likely to evoke panic, like “important”, “urgent”, “time sensitive”, and “final notice”. Such terms may be bolded and in larger font than the rest of the text to catch the reader’s attention.

Disclaimer

It’s illegal for these non-affiliate companies to pose as the mortgage lender. Yet, they often mention the name of the bank to confuse readers into thinking they’re directly associated with the financial institution. To prevent such tactics from getting them into legal trouble, they may place a disclaimer on the mailer. Typically, it’s in small print and overshadowed by other elements, so complete a thorough document inspection to identify if such a statement is present.

How to Protect Your Information

While it may not be possible to avoid unsolicited mailings altogether, there are a few methods that can reduce unwanted contacts.

Sign Up Online

Consumers have the option to opt-out of pre-screening offers based on credit report information through OptOutPrescreen.com – the official website used by the top four credit bureaus in the U.S. The service allows users to request a temporary five-year ban on data release directly through their website. Simply fill out their online form and provide personal details, like name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. This step can also help reduce unwanted phone calls.

Permanent Removal

The service also offers a permanent removal option. To opt-out out of their pre-screening offers forever, download the paperwork and mail it in. Once completed, it’s possible to go back and opt-in again through the website.

Reduce Junk Mail

The Direct Marketing Association also allows registrants to specify what – if any – types of marketing-based mail they want to receive, including catalogs. While the junk-mail-suppression service promises 10 years of relief, it requires a sign-up fee. It also isn’t likely to impact any fraudulent senders.

How Your Local Bank Can Help

At The Callaway Bank, we take extensive steps to protect our customers’ data. For example, our fraud prevention system monitors and flags unusual banking patterns to stop fraudsters in their tracks. Our local bank’s Digital Banking solutions also add an extra layer of protection by requiring a secure access code when logging in on-top of utilizing unique username and password details.

Additionally, if you do receive any strange or suspected spam mail, our dedicated bankers are available to check the document’s validity to provide you with peace of mind.

Contact Us

Staying Ahead of Fraudsters with Fraud Prevention Enhancement

The Callaway Bank takes cyber security and protects our clients from fraudsters seriously. We are proud to announce that we have recently enhanced the fraud prevention tools in our Digital Banking platform.  Going forward, if the fraud prevention system notices something out of the ordinary in your Digital Banking use, you will be prompted to enter a random code sent to you via text or through the DUO app (whatever method you chose for your out-of-band authentication) before continuing.

How Does It Work?

Once the fraud prevention tool has learned your usual usage patterns, it can recognize potential attempts by fraudsters to gain access to your account. The tool can detect, among many variables, sudden changes in location, suspicious logins from different devices or IP addresses, and attempts to transfer unusual sums of money from your account. When unusual activity is detected, the system will send an alert prompting you to authenticate yourself via text message or mobile application.

What About Legitimate Out-of-the-Ordinary Activity?

We understand there may be times when you want or need to use Digital Banking in ways outside of your usual behavior – such as when traveling abroad or using a different device than usual. In these cases, our fraud prevention tool won’t impede legitimate activities; instead, it will simply ask you to authenticate yourself so that we can verify it is indeed you who is attempting access. This helps ensure that no one else can gain access to your account without authorization.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Protecting our clients from fraudsters and other cybersecurity threats is always a top priority.  The fraud prevention system is only one of many system tools we use to stop cybercriminals.  While no automated system is 100% perfect, we feel this new fraud prevention enhancement will help a great deal in preventing unauthorized access to your Digital Banking.  As always, we will continue to develop new security measures to help protect you.

Contact Us

How Much is Your Information Worth and How To Protect Yourself from Account Take Over

Were you aware that your email account is worth real dollars on the hacker market? This might explain why we continue to see more and more people with their Gmail, and other accounts being hijacked. According to Privacy Affairs and their 2022 Dark Web Price Index, a person’s information is seen as a valuable resource to cybercrooks because they can do so much with it.  While you might be thinking, “Why would anyone want access to my email account? It’s not my checking account.” You would be surprised what a resource the average person’s email account is.

The biggest reason your ordinary, everyday email account is valuable is that it is often the key to all of your other online accounts. When signing up for anything such as Amazon, credit cards, or online banking, you provide your email as a contact point. If someone then tries to take over that other account, they simply request a new password to be emailed, and BAM, now they have that account too. That gets really scary when it’s your bank account or credit card, but even with access to your Amazon account, they could easily order a couple of 52″ flat-panel TVs and then sell them for cash.

Another way we see crooks using hijacked accounts is that they monitor who you do business with, and then send people a request posing as you.
Example: “Hi Bill, would you please wire $3500 to a friend of mine in California? His name is xxxxx, and the account number is xxxxxx ….” Fortunately for our customers, we will not send a wire-based from an email request, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen at another well-meaning business. The important thing is not to give someone the opportunity to hack into your account

Fraudsters gain access, change passwords to lock you out, and hold accounts hostage until you pay their fee. This type of fraud happens to both individuals and businesses.

Here are some suggestions to help prevent an account takeover:

• Use only one password for one account.  Don’t ever use the same password for multiple accounts, especially your email account.  
• Use a password with at least 8 digits and with a mix of numbers and special characters.
  A professional hacker can crack a 6 digit, lowercase-only password in 10 minutes. Make it 8 digits, but still only lowercase letters, and it extends the time by a few minutes.  Instead, just adding a mix of uppercase, numbers, and symbols makes it much harder and longer to crack!  And don’t think that abcd1234 will throw them off.  That is one of the most common passwords used and common names found in the dictionary are all tested first.
• Avoid Public Internet or Wifi
  Hackers can easily break into public internet access points such as free public wifi offered in a cafe or hotel.  They will often spoof a free wifi spot with a similar name to the real establishment. When you log into a compromised wifi network hackers can steal information from your phone or from the data you’re sending and receiving from a website. Don’t ever log into your bank accounts through public wifi.  If you have to use a public wifi use a VPN to encrypt your connection.
• Be mindful of “shoulder surfers.”
  Be aware of your surroundings and mindful if someone is nearby who could look over your shoulder when you key in your password.  That cute guy at the coffee shop may be smiling at you because he knows how to access your account.
• Be wary of emails from strangers, especially if it comes bearing gifts.
  Your mama’s advice about not talking to strangers applies here as well.  If you get an email from someone you don’t know, do not click on any of the links, and certainly don’t open any attachments.  They almost always will load some kind of malware or virus that can give a crook access to your computer or send them all of your keystrokes.  Emails now often come with a promise of a gift card to your favorite store if you take a survey or visit their website.  You’re better off just deleting those.
  
• If you suspect your account has been hacked, stop using your computer.
  If your account has been hacked, your computer may be hacked as well.  If a cyber-crook has access to your computer, changing your Gmail account password won’t help.  They’ll know the new password also.  Hire a computer pro to check your machine for viruses and malware, and remove them.  Having antivirus software that is up to date can help prevent this.  However, if you clicked on a nefarious link it will then bypass your security software. In the meantime find a computer or device that you don’t normally use (preferably not a public computer). You can access your account with it to change your password.

We hope this will help you realize that your computer security is not something to take lightly.  While we can’t help you with fixing your computer, we can help you if you feel your checking or savings accounts may be in jeopardy.  Please contact your Personal Banker or our Customer Care Team if you have concerns that someone may have access to your bank accounts or online banking.  We can walk you through the process and help you determine if your bank accounts are at risk. 

Fraud Prevention Center