At some point, you have probably received an email or call that didn’t look or sound quite right. Few things are more important than protecting your personal and financial information. We are committed to keeping your information safe and want to provide you with the tools to protect yourself.
*Westoba never solicits personal information such as your 2-Step Verification code or Personal Access Code (PAC) through our digital channels or via phone call – contact us if you suspect suspicious activity.
Keep Your Money Safe with 2-Step Verification
2-Step Verification helps safeguard your money against fraud by creating an extra barrier that is harder for cybercriminals to break through. It is an essential step towards keeping your accounts safer and giving you peace of mind knowing you are better protected when banking online. If you haven’t enrolled in 2-Step Verification yet, follow these few easy steps and maximize your safety.
Protect Your Accounts with Direct Alerts
Our Direct Alerts will let you know when the moment critical changes are made to your online banking information, adding another level of security to your account. It is important to monitor these alerts and report any potentially fraudulent activity as soon as it happens. If you receive an alert but did not perform a change on your account, contact us at 1-877-WESTOBA (937- 8622) immediately so we can address your concerns and take the appropriate steps to fix it. Login in to Westoba’s online banking to sign up.
How to Create a Strong Password
Creating a strong password for your online banking is an important step to protecting your information from potential fraud. Never use your real name, company name or phone numbers. While you may be tempted to use the same password for everything, doing so also puts you and your personal information at risk of fraud.
We’re always evolving our security measures and our Personal Access Code (PAC) complexity requirements ensure that your online banking experience is safe and seamless. When you’re choosing your new password, please use the following requirements:
- at least 1 uppercase letter
- at least 1 lower case letter
- at least 1 number
- at least 1 special character, you can use the following: @#$%^&*
- Password length must be between 8 to 30 characters
- No spaces
- Don’t use your real name, company name or phone numbers.
To help remember your Personal Access Code (PAC), we recommend using Passphrases. For example, HighSecurity1st! Passphrases are easy to remember and highly secure.
Protect Yourself from Phone Scams
Whenever you answer the phone and it is someone you don’t know, please take extra precautions. Fraudsters know how to impersonate representatives from financial institutions, government agencies and other companies to defraud you.
Preventive tips:
- If you suspect a suspicious call, hang up immediately.
- If you are unsure who is calling, confirm their number from an online resource and call that number to confirm their identity. You can find Westoba’s contact information here.
Protect Yourself from Online Scams
Phishing scams are a common tactic that fraudsters will use, including hoax emails or fake websites to gather your personal information. The result often leads to identity theft or financial loss.
Preventive tips:
- Don’t open an email from sources you don’t know.
- Westoba will never ask you for your PIN and PAC in an email, and will never ask you to click a link to validate your account.
- If an email has obvious spelling mistakes, urgent requests for money or personal information – it may be a scam.
- Be sure web links are legitimate – if you hover over a link with your mouse, be sure both links match.
- Monitor your bank accounts regularly to identify suspicious transactions.
- Don’t let anyone take remote control of your computer. Some common examples, including to reset your Personal Access Code (PAC), or provide technical support.
Please visit our Secure Banking page for more information on how you can stay protected from fraud.
*If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please follow the steps in this Fraud Prevention 101 article.
