General Security

Please note: San Francisco FCU will not send emails or text messages requesting our members to provide personal information. If you encounter a suspicious website, pop up window, email, text message or phone call that says it is from San Francisco FCU and that requests personal or account information, do not respond to it and please report it immediately by phone to 415-775-5377, option 4 or via email at Contacts@SanFranciscoFCU.com.

SECURITY

• Online Banking Security
• General Security
• Personal Computer Security
• Password and User ID
• Anti-Virus programs
• Firewalls
• Email scams-phishing
• Keep your system up-to-date
• Backup your files
• Fraud Education Series

ONLINE BANKING SECURITY

At San Francisco Federal Credit Union, we are concerned about your security. San Francisco Federal Credit Union has chosen web browsers that are capable of conducting a secure session with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) enabled web server. This means that data transmitted between your computer and our server is scrambled. When the data finally arrives at our server, the data is then unscrambled.

GENERAL SECURITY

• Don't include personal information such as your driver's license or Social Security Number on   your pre-printed checks.
• Memorize all Personal Identification Numbers (PIN), such as your ATM card PIN and online   passwords. Do not keep such numbers in your wallet or purse.
• If you stop receiving bills, statements or other monthly mailings, or if a bill is not received when   expected, contact the issuing company immediately.
• Promptly collect incoming mail, and use a secured mailbox if possible.
• Send outgoing mail from a secured mailbox or a post office; try to avoid leaving outgoing mail in   your home mailbox.
• Shred all unwanted pre-approved offers for credit cards, convenience checks or loans.

PERSONAL COMPUTER SECURITY

Passwords and User IDs
Try to create an original password by using the following tips:

• Use a combination of numbers, letters and punctuation
• Longer passwords are better
• Make sure your password is something you can remember without writing it down
• Memorize your password

Install and Use Anti-Virus Programs

Viruses can infect a home computer in many ways: among them floppy disks, CDs, e-mail, web sites and downloaded files. Anti-virus programs help protect your computer against most viruses, worms, Trojans and other unwanted invaders that can make your computer "sick." Viruses, worms and the like often perform malicious acts, such as deleting files, accessing personal data or using your computer to attack other computers. If a file is found to be infected with a virus, most anti-virus programs provide you with options of how to respond, such as removing the harmful item or deleting the file. Installing an anti-virus program and keeping it up-to-date is the best defense for your home computer.

Firewalls
A firewall can be described as a security guard for your home computer. The guard is a piece of software or hardware that helps protect your PC against hackers and many computer viruses and worms. It is a good idea to install a firewall on your home computer.

E-mail Scams: Phishing

What is phishing?
All internet users should be aware of the online scam known as "phishing" (pronounced "fishing"). Phishing involves the use of e-mail messages that appear to come from your bank or another trusted business, but are actually from imposters.

Phishing e-mails typically ask you to click a link to visit a web site, where you're asked to enter or confirm personal financial information such as your account numbers, passwords, Social Security number or other data. Although these web sites may appear legitimate, they are not. Thieves can collect whatever data you enter and use it to access your personal accounts.

Tips to help avoid getting hooked by Phishers

• If you get a pop-up or e-mail message requesting personal or financial information, don’t reply or click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies won’t ask for this information.
• Be cautious about opening attachments or downloading files from e-mail messages.
• Never send confidential information via e-mail.
• When sending confidential information via the internet, look for a closed padlock at the bottom of your browser window, or a URL that begins with “https”— “s” stands for secure. However, some Phishers are able to forge these security icons.
• Review financial statements for accuracy as you receive them. If your financial statements are late, call the company to confirm your billing address and balance.
• Use anti-virus software, and keep it up-to-date.
• Report suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov, and forward suspicious messages to spam@uce.gov.

Keep Your System Up to Date
Most software vendors provide free patches to fix problems in their products. You can usually download these patches from the vendor's web site.

Backups
It is a good practice to back up important files and folders on your computer. To back up files, make copies onto CDs or floppy discs.

View our disclaimer.

For more information, please contact us at (415) 775-5377, option 4 or contacts@SanFranciscoFCU.com.