October is National Cybersecurity Month, but it’s important to protect your identity throughout the entire year. Here are a few tips to help protect your identity online and in your day-to-day life.

Never share your secrets. 

• Do not provide your Social Security Number, bank, or credit card information to anyone who contacts you online or over the phone.
• Protect your PINs and passwords and do not share them with anyone. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols to create strong passwords and change them periodically.
• Never post sensitive information on social media.

Read more about how to protect yourself from online fraud here: Five Ways To Help Protect Yourself From Online Fraud  

Shred sensitive papers.

•  Shred receipts, bank and credit card statements and unused credit card offers before throwing them in the trash.

Keep an eye out for missing mail.

•  Fraudsters look for monthly bank or credit card statements or other mail containing financial information.

Use Online Banking to protect yourself. 

• Monitor your financial accounts regularly for fraudulent transactions. Sign up for email or text alerts for certain types of transactions Example: Transactions of $500 or more

Did you Know?You can Set this up in your FGB Online Banking and via the SecurLOCK app! Click here for more information on SecurLOCK  

Monitor your credit report. 

• Order a free copy of your credit report every four months from one of the three credit reporting agencies at annualcreditreport.com.
• Rotate your orders through each of the bureaus, so you are reviewing your credit report from different agencies.
• Regularly order credit reports for your children as well. Children are often victims of identity theft.

Did you Know? You can use the following FGB services to Continuously monitor your credit report and bank accounts:

• Credit Aware – within FGB's Online Banking  
• Club Benefits – Get ID monitoring and credit file monitoring when you have or open an Active Club or Advantage Club account.

Online fraud is at an all-time high. Click here to read more about protecting yourself from identity theft: How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft  

Protect your computer. 

• Make sure the virus protection software and patches on your computer are active and up to date.
• When conducting business online, make sure your browser’s padlock or key icon is active. Also look for an “s” after the “http” to be sure the website is secure.

At First Guaranty Bank, your safety is our highest priority. For more information on how FGB keeps your information and accounts safe, visit our Fraud Center.