Online Website Security Tips
- If you suspect a Web site is not what it claims to be, leave it immediately. Do not follow any of the instructions it presents.
- Only do business with the companies you know and trust.
Only use your credit card number on Internet sites that have a secure, encrypted system (look for the "HTTPS" in the address line or lock icon).
- Provide sensitive personal or financial information only when you have initiated it and only if the page is secure.
- Make sure the Web site is certified with a digital security certificate by clicking on the "closed lock" or "solid key" image located in the bottom bar of your browser window. A small frame with site security information will appear. Click the word 'Subject' for Internet Explorer to verify you are on the correct Web site, and make sure the registered owner matches the site. To verify the site certification authority, click the 'Issuer' tab. For Netscape, click on "View Certificate" to view subject and issuer details.
Choose passwords or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) that are difficult for others to guess (NOT your birthday or street address or the last four digits of your Social Security number), and use a different password for each of your Internet accounts. Change these passwords frequently. Use both letters and numbers and a combination of lower- and upper-case letters if the passwords are case-sensitive.
Email Security Tips
- Be alert for fraudulent (sometimes called "phishing") emails. They may appear to come from a reputable business or a trusted friend but are actually designed to trick you into downloading a virus to your computer or directing you to a Web site to disclose sensitive or personal information.
- Immediately delete any email that requests your personal information; do not reply to it. Reputable businesses never request personal information (Social Security or credit card numbers, for example) via email.
Never send your personal information via unsecured email. If U.S. Bank needs information beyond your name, address, email address and phone number, we will provide you with a secure email form.
- If an email from an unknown - or unsolicited - sender contains an attachment of any kind, do not open it. Delete the email immediately. U.S. Bank will never include attachments in the emails we send to you.
- Be cautious when clicking on a link in an email that you receive. It may be fraudulent, even though the URL may be identical to the actual company's Web site. To check the ownership of the destination page, open a new browser window (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and manually type in the URL provided in the email. If they don't match, immediately delete the email with the suspicious link.
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