VISTA BANK
Prevent Fraud & ID Theft
Security tips to help keep your financial information secure.
Protect you, your family & your business
Fraud and identity theft cases have only increased as bad actors find new ways to steal. If you believe you are a victim of fraud or identity theft as a Vista Bank client, please contact us immediately.
- Be suspicious of emails claiming to be from a financial institution, government department, or other agency that request account information, verification, or personal details such as usernames and passwords. Opening file attachments or clicking on web links in suspicious emails can expose your system to harmful code that may hijack your computer.
- Install a dedicated, actively managed firewall, particularly if you’re using a broadband or dedicated internet connection, like DSL or cable.
- Create “strong” passwords that combine upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Use a unique password for each website you visit and change your passwords regularly. Never share your username and password with other people or software providers.
- Regularly patch computers, especially operating systems and key applications, with security updates. Make sure to use a secure session (check for “https” at the start of a URL) for all websites that transmit sensitive data, particularly for online banking and financial websites.
- Review your transaction history at least daily and immediately report any suspicious transactions to Vista Bank.
- Set up security and account alerts in your online banking profile to stay informed about potentially suspicious activity.
- Act swiftly if you suspect fraud. If you believe someone is attempting to commit fraud by impersonating Vista Bank, please contact us immediately.
- Only do business with companies you know and trust.
- Shred financial documents containing your personal information before discarding them.
- Regularly check your credit report to ensure there’s no unauthorized activity.
- Monitor all your bank statements from every credit card each month. Check for any unrecognized items and contact the credit grantor to confirm they are truly yours.
- Never share sensitive or personal information in response to an email, even if it appears to be from your financial institution. Vista Bank will never request your personal or account information via email.
- Never transmit confidential banking information through regular email.
- Do not enable auto-complete features on your computer.
- Never leave your computer unattended when using online banking or accessing other sensitive websites.
- Avoid accessing banking or other financial information at internet cafes, public libraries, or on unsecured WiFi networks. Such environments may have unauthorized software installed that could capture your account number and login details.
- If you doubt the authenticity of a website, leave it immediately and do not follow any instructions it provides.
- Only open emails from known senders. Be particularly careful with emails that have attachments, as they may contain viruses.
- Do not carry unnecessary credit cards, your Social Security card, birth certificate, or other personal documents in your purse or wallet.
