The first time you log in to your online banking account, you will be asked to update your Personal Access Code (PAC) and choose from a list of security questions and answers. Be sure to pick questions with answers that are not easy to guess. Use ones that only you know. You can register your home or personal computer so that you will not have to answer a security question every time you log in. However, when you log in to your account from another machine, we will ask one of the security questions to confirm your identity.
For security reasons, we track the number of login attempts used to access your online banking. After a number of incorrect attempts to provide the correct PAC or answers to security questions, your online access will be immediately disabled. To regain access, please call our customer service representatives.
Online credentials can be numerous as they are needed for email accounts, social networking sites, online newspapers and shopping websites. That's a lot of usernames and passwords – and it can be tempting to use the same combination for everything. But this makes it far too easy for hackers because once they have one password, they can access all your sites. Login credentials are the keys to your accounts so don't leave those keys around for anyone to find.
For online banking, the key is your Personal Access Code (PAC). We recommend you:
This is a FREE feature that Alerts you of any unusual activity in your account. To find out more see our section on Alerts.
With this feature, you select what types of account activity you want to be notified about, and we'll alert you through text message or email. These alerts allow you to monitor your accounts effortlessly and detect suspicious activity immediately.
While our alert messages provide balances and account activity, they will never ask for, or contain, your personal details, account numbers, login credentials or any other type of confidential information. Also, our notifications will never include any links or instructions to click or download anything.
We take pride in insuring your information is safe and secure, our staff are well trained and our technology is always leading edge and up-to-date. However, you need to do your part too. Once our information leaves our secure site and you access it on your personal devices, it is then your responsibility to protect yourself.
There are many different names for electronic fraud:
Very funny names for a very serious issue, these are all considered Social Engineering fraud. Fraudsters use the anonymity and reach of mass electronic messages and fake websites to try to trick you into providing your personal information. In the hopes to commit identity theft or sell your information on the black market. You can protect yourself from these situations by knowing how to identify and avoid these scams. There are many types of fraud and scams out there, although we cannot list them all, below are suggestions on how you can do your part to keep your information safe.
A common way for scammers to obtain your personal information is through electronic means such as email, texting and SMS messaging. Usernames, passwords, banking information and credit card details are requested through electronic message or instant messaging. To simplify it, you get an electronic message appearing to be from a legitimate contact such as your financial institution, credit card provider or you receive an etransfer notification, but they are not legit. Typically you are asked to log in to your online banking to verify account information because of some urgent concern, need to verify or deposit funds. The fake electronic message instructs you to click on a link that takes you to a non-legitimate website, you'll be prompted to enter personal or banking information. Fraudsters are seek personal details, such as your address, social security number or mother's maiden name. The details obtained will then be used for identity theft.
These are all scare tactics. You need to Stop, Think, Rationalize; does it make sense?
Sometimes a fraudulent email will look like a legitimate email address but if you look closely it will be off slightly.
Eg: Real: info@biggarcu.ca vs Fake: info@B1ggarcu.ca
Never click on an attachment if you were not expecting it or it is from an unknown source. The electronic message may have malware attached to the link or take you to a mod website that looks like a legitimate one.
You can double check a link or URL in an electronic message by hovering over it with your mouse. You will get a popup that displays exactly where the link is going to take you. If this does not make sense, don’t click on it.
Never click on a link in an email to access your account if you were not expecting it or initiated it; iTunes, Banking, Credit Card, SGI, Facebook etc.
The structure of an electronic message can be a sign that it may be phishing electronic message. An electronic message with spelling mistakes, missing tenses, transposed words, or over generalities, should be a red flag. You will rarely send an electronic message without the inclusion of a name, company, or specific subject, especially in a business context. If you spot any of these grammatical or structural errors, don’t disregard them, they may be indicators of a phishing attempt.
A legitimate financial institution or credit card company, will not contact you to ask for your personal information, especially your login information. From time to time you will be contacted to update your personal information such as an address or contact information if we are having issues getting ahold of you or your statements are coming back undeliverable. However we will not ask you for information we already have, such as your card number, date of birth or SIN. If we are missing that information we would ask you to contact us.
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