{"id":5229,"date":"2017-08-15T02:49:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T09:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/?p=5229"},"modified":"2025-11-07T08:47:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:47:18","slug":"basic-tips-to-keep-your-computer-and-identity-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/basic-tips-to-keep-your-computer-and-identity-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep Your Computer and Identity Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"co-flex_row co-flex_row__blue co-flex_row__long-form-text co-flex_row__next_row__blog-contributors\" >\n\t<div class=\"co-flex_row--row co-row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form--block co-long_form--block__nomedia prow items-start \">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form--text pcol-md:12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form--content\"><p>It\u2019s not always easy to identify online fraud, but when you\u2019re armed with a little technical advice and common sense, you can avoid many attacks. Here are some basic tips to help you protect your computer and yourself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Remember \u2013 Sound will never ask for your PIN, passwords or account numbers by email or text message.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Social media<\/h2>\n<p>Be cautious about what you share online. It\u2019s safest to presume everything you share online \u2013 even if marked private or friends only \u2013 can be accessed, even if later deleted. The internet \u2013\u00a0especially social media \u2013 is forever.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t complete online surveys, including those posing as fun \u201cFind Your Personality Type\u201d or \u201cMy First\u2026\u201d surveys on Facebook and other social media.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid clicking on social media and online ads.<\/li>\n<li>Only befriend people you actually know, as friends have more access to your profile information. If you get another friend request from someone who is already your friend, don\u2019t accept it and contact them offline and let them know about it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Email<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s important to develop good email habits to protect your computer and your identity from viruses, worms, malware and email fraud. One email threat is phishing, where a perpetrator poses as a legitimate, trustworthy business to attempt to acquire sensitive information like passwords or financial information.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be suspicious of emails asking for personal information or encouraging quick action\u00a0\u2013 <strong>remember, we won\u2019t ask you for any sensitive information via email or by text message<\/strong>. When you\u2019re not sure if the email really is from us, type our URL, soundcu.com, in your browser\u2019s navigation bar.<\/li>\n<li>Only open email and attachments from senders you know. Even then, don\u2019t open attachments with odd filename extensions.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t open attachments with file endings of .exe, .pif, or .vbs. These are executable files and could be dangerous if opened.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Your computer<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep your computer software up-to-date, especially security patches.<\/li>\n<li>Use a reputable brand of anti-virus, and be aware of free fake anti-virus software\/apps.<\/li>\n<li>Use a secure browser. A secure browser is recognizable because the browser address bar (1) begins with \u2018https\u2019, (2) turns green (in high-security browsers) and (3) a special field appears to the right of the URL with a padlock and the name of the legitimate website owner. If you click on this section, you can view the details of the Certificate.<\/li>\n<li>Lock your computer when it\u2019s not in use. Better yet, sign off, shut down and disconnect from the internet.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t use public computers or public or unsecured Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions. Beware of \u201cshoulder surfers\u201d \u2013 someone looking over your shoulder to obtain your sensitive information.<\/li>\n<li>Be selective when providing your email address. Don\u2019t allow websites to keep sensitive information or credentials for future convenience. Don\u2019t allow websites to remember your passwords.<\/li>\n<li>Use strong passwords and use different passwords for different sites. Never use birth dates, first names, pet names, addresses, phone numbers or Social Security numbers. Password manager apps with timeout features are useful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Online criminals are trying to make money as quickly and easily as possible. The more difficult you make their job, the more likely they are to leave you alone and move on to an easier target.<br \/>\n<!--by Meridith Hatch--><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"co-flex_row co-flex_row__last co-flex_row__blog-contributors\" >\n\t<div class=\"co-flex_row--row co-row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor--img_wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300.jpg\" class=\"co-blog_contributor--img\" alt=\"Charlene Homan Sound Credit Union Risk Management &amp; Compliance\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor--content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"co-blog_contributor--name\">Charlene Homan<\/h3><div class=\"co-blog_contributor--title\">VP Risk Management &#038; Compliance<\/div><div class=\"co-blog_contributor--bio text-component\"><p>Charlene Homan serves as the Vice President of Risk Management and Compliance at Sound Credit Union, where she leads compliance initiatives and oversees risk management strategies, including BSA compliance, fraud prevention, quality assurance, and enterprise risk management. With over 15 years in the credit union industry, Charlene has advanced from an entry-level position to her current leadership role, demonstrating comprehensive understanding of credit union landscape that supports Sound Credit Union&#8217;s values while ensuring a strong commitment to regulatory compliance and risk management.<\/p>\n<p>As Sound&#8217;s appointed Compliance Officer, Charlene ensures adherence to all relevant laws and regulations while providing essential oversight on compliance issues, with the overarching goal of effectively serving members. She actively engages in professional development by attending key industry conferences and training programs. She is passionate about supporting her teams to create awareness to the membership and surrounding communities, with the intent to empower individuals to protect themselves from common scams and other fraud activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor--social\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Connect<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/charlene-homan-1a856662\/\" class=\"co-social_share--link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"LinkedIn\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"icon-svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Icon LinkedIn\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-content\/themes\/soundcu-theme\/images\/sprite-icons.svg#linkedin\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don\u2019t use public computers or public or unsecured Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/basic-tips-to-keep-your-computer-and-identity-safe\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[276,165,124,277,119,121],"class_list":["post-5229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tools-advice","tag-id-theft","tag-identity-theft","tag-passwords","tag-phishing","tag-protection","tag-security"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5229"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17515,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5229\/revisions\/17515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}