Internet Safety Tips for Protecting Your Personal Information

Mobile banking makes managing your finances a breeze. But scammers and thieves are lurking, and the more time you spend online, the more you open yourself up to fraud. They’re using phone calls, emails, and texts in a variety of tricks to try and steal your personal information or your money, so you need to stay on high alert.

Origin Bank is here to help with some internet safety tips and reminders to keep your personal information safe.

For starters, stay wary of out-of-the-blue phone calls, emails and texts. If you didn't initiate the exchange, then you can’t really know where or who the information is coming from. And that makes it a scam risk.

Any phone call, text, email, or social media post with a link from your “bank” should be handled with a healthy dose of skepticism. Even if the message and URL look legit, one wrong click could send you down an identity-theft rabbit hole. A malicious link can lock you out of your device, allowing scammers to access your sensitive financial information. Keep in mind that Origin Bank never calls, emails, or texts to request your online banking password, PIN, or card information, so stay on the safe side and steer clear of sketchy links. Instead, bookmark your bank’s authenticated online pages for easy and scam-free access.

At Origin Bank, we're always monitoring the latest online security trends to help keep your information safe. Here are some of the most recent findings:

• Claiming to offer help in expediting a business loan or financial assistance. You might be told you qualify for a special government grant and that it's necessary to verify your identity to process the request.

• Claiming to be from a government agency like the FBI or IRS. Scammers might threaten you with jail time for outstanding debts or claim that you won a prize and must pay taxes on it.

• Seeking donations for illegitimate or nonexistent charities.

• Impersonating bank employees who claim that they’ve noticed suspicious log-in attempts or criminal activity. They may prompt you to confirm your identity by offering sensitive personal or financial information.

• Impersonating bank employees who falsely claim that banks are limiting access to deposits or that there are security issues with bank deposits.

We suggest that if you experience one of these or similar messages, the best approach is to not engage at all. Just hang up or delete any suspicious texts and emails immediately, and don’t click on links in those messages. If you have experienced something similar or are aware of a scam, you can report it to www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help others avoid becoming a victim.

At Origin Bank, we take protecting your data seriously. Visit our Security Page for more tips from our Trusted Advisors on how to keep your information safe. If you have security questions or concerns, contact us today.