Policies

North Peace Savings is committed to maintaining high standards associated with your privacy.

Legal

Code of Conduct: Credit & Debit Card Industry

North Peace Savings holds personal information about you to help us meet your current and future financial services needs. The better we know you, the more we're able to provide the best products and services to you. With your permission, we advise you of products and services that may meet your financial needs, special promotional offers, as well as information on our community involvement. We also value your opinion about how best to serve you and may reach out to you from time to time to conduct research/surveys. We may contact you using any of the following methods: mail, phone or email. If you choose to opt out of receiving marketing material it will not affect your eligibility for products or services.

Warranties and Limitation of Liability

Information and documents provided on this Web site are provided "as is" without any warranty. North Peace Savings uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information on this Web site; it does not, however, make any representations as to its accuracy or completeness.

Your use of this Web site is at your own risk. North Peace Savings, its affiliates, North Peace Financial Planning Services Ltd. and the other parties involved in creating and delivering this Web site's contents are not liable for any damages arising from use of this site.

Links to Third Party Sites

The North Peace Savings Web site may contain images of and links to third party Web sites. The linked sites are not under the control of North Peace Savings and North Peace Savings and its affiliates are not responsible for the contents of any Linked Site, including without limitation any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to a linked site.

North Peace Savings and its affiliates are not responsible for webcasting or any other form of transmission received from any Linked Site nor are they responsible if the linked site is not working appropriately. North Peace Savings is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by North Peace Savings and its affiliates of the site or any association with its operators. You are responsible for viewing and abiding by the privacy statements and terms of use posted at the linked sites. Any dealings that you have with third parties, including the delivery of and the payment for goods and services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings are solely between you and the third party. North Peace Savings shall not be responsible or liable in any way for any part of such dealings.

Use of Cookies

In order to provide better service, we will occasionally use a "cookie". A cookie is a small piece of information which a web site stores on your web browser on your computer and can later retrieve. The cookie cannot be read by a Web site other than the one that set the cookie. We use cookies for a number of administrative purposes. They let us store information that you have already told us, so we don't have to ask you again. They also allow us to measure what parts of our site customers prefer to see, and what parts are less popular. Most cookies last only through a single session, or visit. None will contain information that will enable anyone to contact you via telephone, e-mail, or "snail mail". You can set up your web browser to inform you when cookies are set or to prevent cookies from being set.

However, our MemberDirect® online banking system uses cookies, as a security measure, to maintain a connection with you. If you set your browser to prevent cookies, you will not be able to access MemberDirect.

Accessibility

We are committed to ensuring our online services are accessible to all users. The information below suggests how to obtain the best user experience on our website and explains what we have done to make the website accessible.

Adjust your computer's settings for a better experience

Keep your browser updated

How we have made our website accessible

We have created our website in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. These guidelines assist website developers by describing best practices for creating websites that are accessible to all users.

Some of the ways we achieve online accessibility include:

Building webpages in a way that allows you to disable the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) on your browsers or modify the text size using browser controls if the colours or fonts make content difficult to read.
Providing a 'skip to content' link at the top of all pages, allowing you to quickly access the body content on each page while avoiding headers and navigation.
Creating webpages that allow visually impaired users to navigate the site effectively with a screen reading aid. For example, images have text-based descriptions, title attributes tell users where a link will take them if they click on it, and structured headings provide an overview of the site that lets users jump quickly to desired sections.

Online

Supported Browsers

To maximize your Internet banking experience and for your Internet security, we recommend using the latest supported browsers. Please note that we do not support Beta or test versions of browsers.

Microsoft Internet Explorer: Download the latest version of Internet Explorer.
Firefox: Download the latest version of Firefox.
Safari: Download the latest version of Safari.
Google Chrome: Download the latest version of Google Chrome.

Please note that in downloading the supported required browser version, you acknowledge that these are third party sites and we cannot take any responsibility for the consequences of your downloading these browsers.

Biometric Login

Supported Standards

128-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Encryption

JavaScript

Hardware Configurations

Member Alerts

Phishing is a type of deception designed to steal your identity. In phishing scams, scam artists try to get you to disclose valuable personal data – like account numbers and passwords, by convincing you to provide it under false pretenses. Phishing uses e-mail messages that seem to come from legitimate businesses that one might have dealings with. These messages look authentic, usually with corporate logos and formats to ones that can be used for legitimate purposes.

Never respond to an email that requests personal or financial information. North Peace Savings or any other financial institution would never request such information by email.

If you receive any e-mail supposedly from us asking for this information, please contact your branch immediately.

Privacy

We are committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your personal and financial information. While the Internet is revolutionizing the way that we do business — providing convenient access to financial services from your home or office — we also recognize that it may bring legitimate concerns about privacy and security.

Privacy Code

North Peace Savings respects and understands the privacy of our members and will continue our commitment to confidentiality and security of member personal information.
To protect your privacy and your right to control the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information, we have in place Policies and Procedures, and appointed a Privacy Officer in maintaining confidentiality.

The Credit Union will:

Protect the confidentiality of your personal information
Keep you informed about our privacy policies and practices
Let you see your personal information

The Credit Union will not collect, use or disclose your information without your consent, unless required or authorized by law.

Commitment

Privacy Officer

Policies

Consent

Conditions

Express Consent

Implicit Consent

Deemed Consent

The Credit Union may obtain consent to collect, use, or disclose personal information for specified purposes, if the Credit Union sends notice to the individual that it intends to collect, use, or disclose personal information for those specified purposes and gives the individual a reasonable opportunity to decline to have the personal information collected, used, or disclosed for those purposes, the individual does not decline the collection, use, or disclosure for those purposes, and the collection, use or disclosure is reasonable having regard to the sensitivity of the personal information in the circumstance.

Withdrawal

An individual may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, provided that reasonable notice of withdrawal of consent is given to the Credit Union. On receipt of notice of withdrawal of consent, the Credit Union will inform the individual of the likely consequences of the withdrawal of consent, which may include the inability of the Credit Union to provide certain products or services, if the information is necessary to provide the products and services.

Purposes

Collection

Use

Disclosure

Sharing

Access

Member and account holder information, such as copies of statements, transaction slips, and account agreements, will be provided upon request. The Credit Union may charge a fee for doing so.

For other information, upon written request, the Credit Union will provide the individual with the personal information under the control of the Credit Union, information about the ways in which the personal information requested has been and is being used, and the names of individuals and organizations to whom the personal information requested has been disclosed. The Credit Union may charge a minimal fee for providing information. The Credit Union will provide an estimate of the fee upon receiving the access to information request. The Credit Union may require a deposit for all or part of the fee.

Assistance

The Credit Union will assist individuals to complete an access to information request to ensure that the information wanted or needed is provided accurately, completely, and promptly. An applicant may be required to provide sufficient information to permit the Credit Union to provide an account of the existence, use, and disclosure of personal information it holds. The additional information provided will only be used for this purpose.

Exceptions

Time Limit

The Credit Union will endeavor to respond to an access to information request within 30 days. If additional time is required because sufficient detail has not been provided by the applicant, a large amount of material is requested or must be retrieved, or more time is needed to consult with other organizations, the Credit Union may apply to the BC Privacy Commissioner for an extension under the Personal Information Protection Act.

Refusals

If the Credit Union refuses access to personal information, the Credit Union’s response to the access to information request will provide the reasons for refusal and provide the name, position/title, address, and telephone number of an officer of the Credit Union who can answer the applicant’s questions about the refusal. The Credit Union may refuse to confirm or deny the existence of personal information collected as part of an investigation.

Accuracy

Corrections

If an individual demonstrates the inaccuracy or incompleteness of personal information, the Credit Union will amend the information as required. If appropriate, the Credit Union will send the amended information to third parties to whom the information has been disclosed. When a challenge regarding the accuracy of personal information is not resolved to the satisfaction of the individual, the Credit Union will annotate the personal information under its control with a note that the correction was requested but not made.

Protection

The Credit Union will protect the personal information in its custody or control by making reasonable security arrangements to prevent unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, or similar risks. The Credit Union will take reasonable steps, through contractual or other reasonable means, to ensure that a comparable level of personal information protection is implemented by the suppliers and agents who assist in providing services to members, account holders, and other individuals.

Retention

The Credit Union will keep personal information used to make a decision that affects the individual for at least one year after using it to make the decision. The Credit Union will, in accordance with its retention schedule, destroy, erase, or make anonymous documents containing personal information, as soon as it is reasonable to assume that the original purpose is no longer being served by retention of the information and retention is no longer necessary for legal or business purposes. The Credit Union may retain personal information about members and account holders with their consent in order to assist in the provision of future products and services and for marketing purposes, such as sending information about products and services that may be of interest, and may update the information as necessary to provide products and services applied for. The Credit Union will take due care with the destruction of personal information so as to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to the information.

Safeguarding

The Credit Union will employ electronic and physical security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity level of personal information, including: physical measures such as locked fire resistant filing cabinets and restricted access to offices; organizational measures such as restricting employee access to files and databases; electronic measures such as passwords and encryption; investigative measures if the Credit Union has reasonable grounds to believe that personal information is being inappropriately collected, used, or disclosed.

Questions

Complaint Process

Members can submit comments, compliments, concerns or complaints in the following ways:

Call us at 1-877-778-0361
Stop by a branch
Complete our Member Feedback Form

The Credit Union will ensure that inquiries, concerns, and complaints regarding personal information receive prompt attention and are resolved in a timely manner. Where appropriate, members and other individuals will be informed of their right to file a complaint with the BC Privacy Commissioner and will be provided with contact information.

Privacy Online

This information page describes in general terms how your personal information is collected and used within the online banking section of our site. The online banking area of the site is the area of our website that requires you to use your Member ID and Personal Access Code (PAC) to enter.

Controlled Access to your Information

To ensure that you are the only person accessing your personal financial information, we restrict access to the online banking section of the site by requiring that you enter your Member ID and PAC to login. Only you know your PAC. Our employees do not have access to your PAC, and they will not ask you to reveal it. If someone does ask you to provide your PAC to them, we ask that you refuse to do so and contact us immediately.

Transactional Services

By nature, our Internet banking site has many transactional functions such as transfers between accounts and bill payment functions. These transactions are all logged to ensure that your accounts are debited or credited appropriately, and a history of each transaction is available to verify your account information. We store and use your transactional information in the same fashion as if you performed the transaction at a branch or through any other service channel.

We may also use transactional information for servicing your account — for example, billing you for the particular transactions that you perform, or for the services that you use.

Creating a Secure Channel

Application Forms

To provide you with a convenient method for applying for loans and mortgages, or for purchasing other financial services products such as Registered Savings Plans, we may provide secure online application forms. These forms capture personal information that we use to provide you with the products and services you request. This information is processed in a similar way to application forms received through our other channels .

Website Usage Statistics

To continually improve our site, we often collect statistics about how our members are using it. These usage statistics are only viewed in the aggregate and are not associated with you as an individual. We use this information for purposes such as improving the pages where our members are having difficulties.

The information collected may include your IP address, your browser type and your operating system, as well as data such as the number and types of pages visited, and the length of time spent per page and on the site overall.

Our use of Cookies

We also use a key web technology called cookies. A cookie is a small information token that sits on your computer. As you use this site, cookies are passed back and forth between our server and your browser.

Specifically, we use two kinds of cookies — session cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie exists only for the length of your browsing session and is deleted when you close your browser. A persistent cookie is a cookie that stays on your computer after you close your browser. A persistent cookie may or may not expire on a given date.

We use a session cookie to maintain the integrity of your online banking session. With each page that you visit, the cookie is passed back and forth between our server and your browser. We use the cookie to distinguish your session from the many others that may be happening at the same time. Our session cookies never store any personal information, such as your name, or date of birth, or financial information, such as your accounts and balances.

We may use persistent cookies to (i) provide you with a customized experience by recording your preferences; (ii) gather statistical information such as average time spent on a page; and (iii) to show you targeted marketing information about us when you visit other websites. The data gathered provides us with information on how we can improve the design, content and navigation of our website.

Most recent browser versions allow you to set some level of control over which cookies are accepted and how your browser uses them. For example, it may be set to notify you when it is receiving a cookie so that you accept cookies from only known, reliable sites such as this one. If you are concerned about cookies, we encourage you to upgrade your browser to a recent version and review the Help section of your browser to learn more about its specific control features.

Memorized Accounts Feature

We use a persistent cookie to store information to help you personalize the site and to make it easier to use. For example, we allow you to make the login easier by remembering your login information within our Memorized Accounts feature. Since the Memorized Accounts feature is optional, this cookie only contains information that you have entered into it. We never store your Personal Access Code (PAC) in a cookie.

Logout Button

Automatic Session Time-outs

To communicate with us electronically, we strongly recommend that you use our Contact Us feature. This feature provides a secure channel for sending us comments, questions or instructions.

General email is not secure since it passes through many points on its route from you to us. If you are using general email to communicate with us, we strongly recommend that you do not include personal financial information (such as account numbers) within the email as we cannot guarantee its confidentiality en route to us.

When you email us your comments, questions or instructions, you provide us your email address and we use it to correspond with you. We then store your email and our replies to you in case we correspond further.

Links to Other Sites

Our site may also contain links to other websites or Internet resources. As an example, from time-to-time we may provide links to Microsoft or Netscape to assist you in upgrading your Internet browser. However, we have no control over these other websites or Internet resources and do not control their collection, use and disclosure of your personal information. Always review the Privacy Statements of the sites that you are viewing.

Internet Security

Online banking makes managing your finances easy and convenient. However, there are measures you should take, and best practices you should follow, whenever you go online to access your accounts. Because your online security is our priority, we have compiled suggestions and tips for safe browsing to help you avoid falling victim to Internet threats.

Security Guarantee

Our online banking system is safeguarded with the best security available in a commercial environment, ensuring that your information is protected while data is transmitted between your computer and our banking server.

Encryption

Internet encryption protects your information while it is in transit between your computer and our systems. Encryption ensures that data cannot be read or altered because the information is scrambled. Our online banking website uses a 128-bit SSL, encrypting both request and response transactions, through a secure connection. To establish a secure connection, verify that the prefix of our website address in your browser reads 'https' (and not simply 'http'). All the browsers we support meet this requirement. If yours doesn't, please download the appropriate encryption support from your browser's supplier.

Controlled Access to Your Accounts

Enhanced Security Login Process

The first time you log in to your online banking account, you will be asked to 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. If you have a joint account, the questions and answers for both users must coincide. 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.

Safe Browsing

When visiting a branch, you can feel confident that your money is safe and secure, with the premises adorned by vaults, locked doors, security and surveillance. We are keeping you just as safe when you bank online but once your information reaches your computer, you have a responsibility to protect it.

Personal Access Codes (PAC)

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:

Choose a PAC that is easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. Avoid using current phone numbers, dates of birth, or social insurance numbers.
Be smart and don't save a list of your credentials on your PC. If you have to write them down, keep these details locked away somewhere only you can access or consider using password-management software, which secures and encrypts usernames and passwords and allows you to use a single master password.
Do not share your PAC with anyone, especially online. Employees of our financial institution will never call, email, write or ask you to provide your online banking credentials. Ever.
Don't authorize browsers to memorize your credentials. Saving these on your computer allows anyone using your PC to gain access to your login-protected sites.
Consider changing your PAC every 90 days for optimum security.

Personal Details

e-Statements

e-Documents

Logging In and Out

When you are finished with your banking session, always log out by clicking the "Log Out" button, as opposed to simply closing the browser window. To help protect your information, your online banking session will end automatically if there has been no activity for 20 minutes or if your visit lasts longer than 60 minutes. If your session has timed out, no further transactions can be made until you log in again. This time-out feature helps protect your accounts from unauthorized access if your PC is left unattended or if you have forgotten to log out.

Clearing Cookies and Cache

When you spend time on the Internet, your browser stores information, such as the websites you visit, the images and files you view, and your personal information, including passwords and login details. This data is held on your computer's hard drive and is known as 'cache.' Even though you may have logged out and closed your browser, this information may remain accessible. You can protect your data by clearing your browsing history regularly. This can be done in a few easy steps:

Internet Explorer Users

Click on the 'Tools' tab (or use the 'Ctrl-Shift-Delete' shortcut)

Select 'Delete Browsing History'
Choose the options you wish to erase and click 'Delete'

Firefox Users

Click on the 'History' tab (or use the 'Ctrl-Shift-Delete' shortcut)

Select 'Show All History' and/or
Choose the time frame you wish to erase and click 'Delete'

Safari Users

Click on the 'History' tab

Select 'Show all History'
Choose the period you wish to erase and click 'Clear History'

Chrome Users

Delete all your data:

In the top-right corner of Chrome, click the Chrome menu.
Select More tools > Clear browsing data.
In the dialog that appears, select the checkboxes for the types of information that you want to remove.
Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data that you want to delete. Select beginning of time to delete everything.
Click Clear browsing data.

Delete specific items from your browsing data:

Instead of deleting entire categories of your browsing data, you can pick specific items to delete.

Private Browsing

Some web browsers have a feature that allows you to browse the Internet without the browser storing information, such as the sites you visit, the images you see and videos you watch. This feature is sometimes used by people who share the same computer. Private browsing is a temporary option and must be selected in order for it to be activated. Private browsing, however, does not give you immunity to spyware or make you anonymous. It is still possible for your Internet service provider, employer or the websites you visit to track your online activity.

Monitoring Your Accounts

Frequently reviewing your paper and/or electronic account statements and registering for our alerts system ensures that you spot any incorrect or fraudulent transactions as soon as they occur. If your card has been skimmed (when the card's magnetic stripe and PIN are fraudulently copied by embedded devices at ATMs or point-of-sale devices) or unauthorized transactions have been made, you will want to catch this as soon as possible. Every time you receive an account statement verify you made all the transactions.

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Internet Scams

While pickpockets can only target a few people each day, Internet fraudsters cast their nets much wider, using the anonymity and reach of mass emails and fake websites. You can protect yourself from these situations by knowing how to identify and avoid these scams.

Phishing

A common way for Internet scammers to obtain your personal information is through a method called phishing. Usernames, passwords, banking information and credit card details are phished through email or instant messaging. Phishing works by sending communications, which appear to be from your financial institution, but they are not. You are asked, supposedly by your financial institution, to log in to your online banking to verify account information. Often some type of security concern is cited as the issue. The fake email instructs you to click on a link that takes you to a non-legitimate version of your online banking site – one that is largely indistinguishable from the legitimate site – and you'll be asked to enter your credentials.

Phishing emails may include:

Warnings about account closures
Requests to update your information
Offers to register for a new service
Offers for pre-approved credit cards
Free virus-protection programs

Once you click on the link, which directs you to a phishing website, you'll be prompted to enter personal or banking information. Phishing scams 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.

Scam emails purporting to be from your credit card company or financial institution often have some telling signs, including:

Poor spelling or grammar
Alarmist content, warning that your account will be closed if you don't provide your banking or personal details immediately
Notices that you've won a prize and are required to pay a fee in order to claim it

Never provide personal details or any account details in an email. Electronic messaging is not a secure form of communication. If you receive a message that you are unsure about, please contact us.

Pharming

Another way for hackers to get their hands on your personals details is by pharming them. Pharming occurs when hackers use a malicious code on your PC, which compromises your computer's host file and redirects you to fake websites. The malware hides the fraudulent URL, cloaking it in the legitimate one that appears in your browser. With pharming, the dishonest redirection of URLs happens even when you type correct URLs directly into your browser, making you think that you're on the correct website when you are not. Once there, you are asked to enter your online banking credentials or account information, which hackers take and use for criminal activity.

How to Avoid Phishing and Pharming Scams

We will never send you emails or communications asking you to verify or provide your online banking details. The best way to protect yourself is to never use a link provided in an email to access your online banking (because we don't send those; scammers do). Do not open emails or email attachments from unknown sources. Scan email through your anti-virus software.

Always type your financial institution's website address directly into your browser and remember to look for confirmation that you are browsing securely. The letter "s" in 'https' indicates you are navigating in a secure site, in comparison to the open and unprotected 'http' URLs. Look for the 'https' when online shopping, too.

Don't feel panicked when phishing emails caution of immediate account closures if your banking details cannot be verified. Don't believe emails warning that your account has been compromised or that you'll miss out on a great deal if you fail to act immediately. If you are concerned, call or visit one of our customer service representatives.

Anti-Virus Software

Malware

Malicious software (malware), spyware, worms and Trojans are the same class of destructive viruses; just with different names. Nobody wants a computer virus. They can steal your personal information, take over your PC and use your computer to attack other people's computers. Your PC can become infected through email attachments, downloading infected content or visiting harmful websites.

Spyware

Spyware is exactly what it sounds like – tracking software that is downloaded to your computer (without your knowledge) when you visit certain Internet sites. Secretly, it gathers information about you and your browsing habits. This information can be trivial or it can include passwords and personal data that you wouldn't want criminals to get their hands on. It can also interfere with user controls and disable legitimate anti-virus programs.

The best way to protect your computer against spyware is smart browsing. Stay away from sites that look unsafe and avoid streaming or downloading content from untrustworthy sources. Many anti-virus products offer targeted spyware solutions that inspect your operating system, installed programs, downloads and files.

Scareware

One of the most common viruses to watch out for is known as scareware. These scams pop-up on your screen and display alarmist warnings, telling you a virus has invaded your computer. Scareware prompts you to download (and often pay for) fake anti-virus software to remove the non-existent viruses. Scareware is a scam that tries to trick you into paying money in exchange for nothing.

You can protect against scareware by keeping your anti-virus software up-to-date and by being judicious about what you choose to download to your computer. You should also familiarize yourself with the interface of your legitimate anti-virus program, so you won't be fooled if one of these pop-ups appears.

Computers & Smartphones

We have created a secure channel to communicate with our customers, but you need to do your part by maintaining your computer up-to-date and virus-free.

Operating Systems

Your computer's operating system needs to be up-to-date in order to defend itself from viruses and malicious software (malware). If one part of your operating system develops a virus, it leaves holes in your PC's security defences and compromises the safety of the information contained in your computer.

Keeping your software up-to-date is one of the most important ways of staying safe online because it is much harder for viruses to infect an updated operating system and software. Hackers are targeting operating systems with new viruses all the time and software companies combat these efforts with security patches. You should always download the latest security patch as soon as it becomes available.

Your operating system lets you know when updates are available by notifying you there are new security features to download. You can also upgrade your operating system to the latest version available from the manufacturer; however, you should ensure your computer has sufficient hardware capacity to support an upgrade.

Remember to back up your data. To fully eliminate a virus that has infected your machine, the re-installation of your operating system may be required. Protect yourself against the permanent loss of important data by frequently backing up your files on an external hard drive so you'll have the data should you ever have a problem with your operating system.

Browsers

Web browsers are the gateways to the Internet. Similar to having an up-to-date operating system, upgraded browsers provide more features, stability and security. Whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome or something else, stay safe online by using the latest version available.

The latest versions of web browsers have security features that can identify and block harmful and fake websites and pop-ups, and warn you if a site is flagged as unsafe. Some browsers also have a 'Private Browsing' feature, which conceals your browsing history from others.

We suggest you update your browser. Now.

Firewalls

A firewall protects your computer and home network from harmful websites and hackers. It sits between your computer and the Internet, scanning information that is being transmitted. It allows for safe browsing, while blocking unauthorized intrusions. Even though you may think you have no information of value on your PC, firewalls also stop your computer from being used by hackers to send malicious software to other computers.

Most computers now come with a firewall as part of the standard operating system. However, you can get the maximum protection for your computer by installing additional firewalls and ensuring they are kept up-to-date.

Protecting Your Smartphone

Browsing the web has never been easier – it's all at your fingertips. Smartphones let you surf, shop or bank wherever you are. Make sure your information stays secure while you're on the move by following these smartphone-safe browsing tips:

Activate your phone's password feature, which locks the screen and prevents anyone but you from accessing your phone. Set up the password feature on your phone with a code that only you know.
Don't connect to unknown networks through Wi-Fi hotspots to make financial transactions.
Beware of smishing – that's phishing on phones through text messages. Never download media or images, or click on text-message links that come from unrecognizable people or phone numbers. Never provide personal details or any account details using any form of electronic messaging because this is not a secure form of communication. If you are unsure, please contact us.
Download apps exclusively from the official source for your smartphone's platform, such as the Android, Apple or BlackBerry stores.
Install anti-virus software for your smartphone when available and update it frequently.
Install location finding applications, which work with your phone's built-in GPS. These applications allow you to locate and/or remotely erase (or "wipe") data in your phone if it is lost or stolen.
Update your smartphone's operating system as soon as newer versions are available.

Wi-Fi & E-Shopping

These days, everyone is on the go and it's not uncommon to access Wi-Fi at coffee shops, hotels, restaurants or airports. Using wireless networks to access information is convenient, but not risk-free. Be smart when you surf. Protect yourself from threats by:

Using only a trusted computer to access your online banking. Don't use shared library or café computers.
Managing your online banking only from secure networks. We recommend that you don't use unsecured public networks for anything sensitive.
Connecting only to password-protected networks. If there are several networks available, ask employees of the organization which network they operate.
Never leaving your computer unattended, especially if you are logged into your online banking.
Using different PACs and security questions as login credentials. If someone obtains your credentials for one site, such as a social networking site, you don't want them to be able to access your other ones.
Ensuring you log out before you close your browsers.

Shopping Online

Online shopping is the epitome of convenience. There are no lines and no crowds, but it can also be a haven for fraudsters. Consider the following tips when using your credit cards online to ensure your information stays secure:

Make sure that you are shopping at a trusted retailer when you enter your credit card details online.
Provide retailers with only the necessary details to complete the transaction. These include your credit card number, expiry date, the security code on the back of the credit card and the card's billing address. Never provide your social insurance number, account details or your mother's maiden name. For shopping sites that require you to register with a username and password, we recommend you do not use your online banking PAC.
Use your credit cards only on e-commerce websites that use secure browsing technology on the screens where you enter your card information. Ensure the web address begins with 'https' (as opposed to 'http') and has a closed padlock icon on the screen.
Ensure that smaller retailers requesting credit card details have reputable contact details, a physical address and you feel comfortable with providing them your card information.
Never give your account or credit card details to anyone on eBay or Craigslist.

Policies

Legal

Accessibility

Online

Member Alerts

Privacy

Privacy Code

The Credit Union will:

Privacy Online

Internet Security

Security Guarantee

Safe Browsing

Internet Explorer Users

Firefox Users

Safari Users

Chrome Users

Internet Scams

Computers & Smartphones

Wi-Fi & E-Shopping

Shopping Online

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