March is National Fraud Prevention Month

…and we want to remind you of our top security tips:

It is 2010 and so many of us use our computers for banking, shopping, trading and communicating. As a result your privacy and security must be of paramount importance to maintaining the integrity of your personal information.

Here are a few tips we hope will assist.

1. Phishing is the practice of sending a phony email requesting that you divulge personal information such as a password or financial information. If you receive such an email, delete it unopened. Do not respond to it.

2. Change your password frequently and assign a unique password to every online interaction. Ideally, change your password every month to 6 weeks. Your password should be a minimum of 8 characters. A strong password will be a combination of upper and lowercase, and will also include numbers and symbols, such as a question mark or ampersand.

3. For any activity that requires you to input personal information, use your own computer or a machine you can verify has up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed. The security level on public computers, whether at a library, an Internet café, or a hotel lobby, cannot be accurately tested or verified as being virus and spyware free.