Online safety

Protect your devices and identity so your banking stays safe from online threats.

Tips to keep you safe online

Avoid public WiFi

Public WiFi usually isn’t as secure as a private network. If you do need to use it:

  • Avoid online banking or shopping
  • Never save passwords or leave your accounts logged in
  • Switch off your device’s ability to auto-connect to public WiFi
  • Stay aware of your surroundings.

Protect your social media accounts

Limiting the public information you share on social media can help prevent cyber criminals from using your information for identity theft or fraud. Customise your settings to carefully choose who you allow to see your full profile. Avoid sharing personal data like addresses, middle name, birthdate, travel dates or pet names which can be used to steal your identity or hack your accounts.

Keep devices secure

Devices like mobile phones, tablets and computers are vulnerable to viruses, spyware, malware and other online cyber threats. To keep them secure:

  • Install anti-virus software
  • Keep your firewall on and run regular security scans to protect them
  • Make sure your operating system is up to date
  • Only install apps from official stores like the Apple App Store® or Google Play™ store
  • Avoid removing hardware restrictions on devices.

Use strong passwords

A strong and unpredictable password helps to secure your banking, email and social media accounts. These contain important information about your identity.

Tips for creating a strong password

  • Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols that aren't personal to you
  • A longer and more complex password is harder to decipher
  • Don’t use information that can be easily guessed, like your birthday or address
  • To help you remember a password, try using letters and numbers that tell a funny story (like ‘mYd0Gd0e$yog@).

How to keep your password secure

  • Don’t store it or share it
  • Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts - this prevents one breach from compromising all of your accounts
  • Change your passwords regularly to stay unpredictable.

Buy online safely

Be cautious before you hand over money online. Secure website URLs begin with ‘https’ and show a closed padlock in the address bar. It’s best to buy from stores which offer safe ways to pay, like those with Mastercard SecureCode® at the checkout. Unsafe websites usually have:

  • Poor spelling and grammar in URLs and on the page
  • Deals that sound too good to be true
  • No reviews or bad reviews of the seller.

Protect your business

Consider limiting who can install programs, change security settings and use programs or networks. You should also encrypt hard drives and sensitive data files, create a guest mode for visitors to restrict network access and limit staff to the use of approved network devices only.

How to spot online shopping scams

There’s a few things to keep an eye out for when shopping online to make sure you’re keeping safe from scammers.

Get in touch

See something suspicious?

Call us immediately if you’re worried about possible fraud.

Is someone pretending to be us?

If you’re not sure about an email or SMS, don’t click any links or attachments.

Keep reading

Here's how you can protect your banking and identity.

See how our services and features keep your banking secure.

Stay aware of the latest online threats so you can protect yourself.

Learn how to protect your cyber security throughout your home.

Find out about Virtual Private Networks and how they could work for you.

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