My online experience.
In order to make your online experience as secure as possible, we are introducing a new security feature. The security feature is an image and phrase that is personalized by you. When you see this image and phrase it gives you the confidence that you are at our real website, and not a fake. This means you can now conduct online transactions with a renewed sense of confidence.
What is the security system?
The security system adds a layer of protection to your online account by letting you know you’re at our real website, and letting us know it’s really you trying to access your account.
Letting you know it’s really us
The security system will help you distinguish our real website from a look-alike. Upon registering for the security feature, you will be required to select a secret image and phrase. These are a shared secret between you and us. When you see your image and phrase displayed on the screen, you can be confident that you are at our real site and that it is safe to enter your password. It is important to make sure that you NEVER enter your password without seeing your personal image and phrase.
Letting us know it’s really you
If we do not recognize the computer being used when you are logging on we will ask you to verify your identity by answering your security questions.
When you sign in from a different computer, you are asked to answer a Security Question to protect your account. You can choose to have the system remember your computer so you will not have to answer your Security Question in the future.
Why do I need the security system?
Recently there have been attempts by fraudsters to trick people into revealing their personal information, such as passwords, by creating fake websites that look very much like the sites of legitimate financial institutions. They send out emails with links to these fake websites claiming that you need to log into your account. This phenomenon has been called phishing, (pronounced “fishing”). We are committed to proactively protecting our members against such attacks. By making sure you always see your personal image and phrase before entering your personal information, you can ensure you’re information is being entered into a legitimate site.
How does it work?
When you visit your branch office, you know our faces and we know yours. Our new security feature does the same thing over the Internet. When you enroll, you will select a secret image and phrase known only to you. Whenever you log-in to our website, we will display this image so you can feel confident that you are accessing the legitimate site of your financial institution and not an impostor site.Remember: Never enter your password without seeing your personal secret image and phrase.
We also check the computer(s) or device(s) that you are using to access the website. Typically you will access the website from one or two computers, such as your work and home machine. The system remembers your computer. Should you need to log-in from a different computer, such as an Internet café, we will take additional steps to verify your identity, such as ask you to provide the answer to secret questions we both know the answers to. No personal or private data is stored in any way.
How am I more secure with the security system?
The security system protects you from accidentally revealing your username and password to a fake site. In addition, if someone does get your username and password, he will still not be able to access your account because he is not at your registered computer.
How do I sign up for the security system?
Expect to be prompted at some point while online to enter additional information. This will include choosing your personal digital image and caption as well as several security questions that only you know the answers to. Once this occurs, you have added a layer of protection to your account.
What keeps somebody from stealing my secret image and phrase?
We only show your secret image and phrase if you log-in from your own computer, or after you have answered a security question. So, it is not possible for an unauthorized person to get access to your image and phrase. Remember: Never enter your password without seeing your personal secret image and phrase.
Why am I being asked a question when I try to log-in?
We ask you a secret question when we detect that you are trying to log-in from a new computer. This is to prevent someone with stolen passwords from logging into your account. Since only you know the answer to the questions, we will know it’s really you.
Generally you will be asked to answer a secret question only when you log-in for the first time from a new computer. After you answer the question, you will be asked whether we should remember this computer for future log-ins. If you are using a personal computer, you should answer yes. If you are using a public terminal, you will want to answer no.
Can I access my account from multiple computers?
Yes, you can still access your credit union account from any number of computers. If you log-in from a new computer or a public terminal, you will just need to go through one extra step of answering a secret question. This helps protect you by keeping unauthorized people from accessing your valuable information. There is no limit on how many different computers you can use to log-in to your credit union account.
I am not an Internet expert. How easy is it to use the new security system?
It is extremely simple for anyone to use. You don’t need to memorize anything new—just use the site as usual and look for your secret image and phrase at log-in.
I share my computer with someone who has their own credit union account. Can both of us still log-in from this machine?
Yes, you can both use the same computer to log-in to your individual credit union accounts. There is no limit on how many people can log-in into the credit union website from the same computer.
What happens if someone steals my password? How will the new security system keep them from accessing my account?
When someone tries to log-in using your stolen user name and password, we will recognize that they are logging in from a different computer, and ask them a secret question. Since only you know the answers to your secret questions, they will not be able to give a correct answer. They will not be able to log-in.
Can I change my secret image and phrase?
Yes, you can change your secret image and phrase at any time. To make the change, go to the account maintenance link after you log-in to your account.
I am trying to log-in from my own computer, but the credit union’s website is not showing me my secret image and phrase. Instead, it is asking me a question. What is happening?
This might happen in rare cases if you have deleted all cookies on your computer. Before answering a secret question or entering your password, make sure that you are going to the legitimate credit union website. The easiest way to ensure this is by typing the URL of the credit union directly into your web browser. Then, after you answer the security question, you should see your secret image and phrase next to the password field. If your
secret image and phrase is there, you can be confident that you are at the legitimate website and can enter your password. Remember: Never enter your password without seeing your personal secret image and phrase.
I already have anti-virus and a personal firewall. Why do I need this?
We are glad to hear you use antivirus and a personal firewall. Be sure that you keep both software programs up-to-date for the best possible protection against viruses, Trojans, and hackers. This new security feature protects against other kinds of threats such as a stolen user name and password. It works with your other personal security programs, but it does not replace them.