At Avadian, protecting your personal information is always on our mind. We’re sure it’s never far from yours either, but the reality is, there are a lot of things to remember.
So as the holiday season kicks off, we want to focus on two key ways you can limit access to your personal information and thus your accounts.
- Do not share your online banking username or passwords with anyone.
- Do not give anyone you don’t know access to your devices – computers, phones, tablets, etc.
Fraudsters are sneaky, so we must all be vigilant. A common tactic is to call you and pretend to be a financial institution or other company. The fraudsters then ask you to click on a link they send you or download software that ultimately gives them access to your device and all information on the device.
It’s important to remember these are situations in which you receive a call unexpectedly, not when you initiate a call for assistance. If you call Avadian, you will be asked to confirm your identity, so we can be sure who we are talking to. If Avadian calls you, they will not ask you to click a link or download something for access to your device.
Be careful if …
… you receive an unexpected call, and the caller asks you to download something via a link they send you.
… you receive an unexpected call, and the caller asks you to provide a secure access code.
… you receive an unexpected call, indicating there is a problem with an account/device, and the caller asks you to download software or an app via a link they will send you so they can “fix” the problem.
When in doubt, hang up and call the financial institution or company directly using a number found on their website. If it was a legitimate call, the time you spend making sure your information is safe will be worth it.
For additional tips, please check out our blogs and these tips on other well-known scams.
Equal Housing Opportunity Lender