Being cyber smart simply means being aware of the motivations and tactics of high-tech criminals seeking to steal your sensitive financial information or your identity and adopting measures to protect yourself.
Before we talk about common scams, ID theft, and fraud, it’s important to remember: Golden 1 will never send an unsolicited text or email or call you asking for one-time verification codes, PINs, passwords, or other personal information. If you receive such a message or call, DO NOT click on the link, or share this information. Call Golden 1 directly at our Member Service Contact Center at 1-877-GOLDEN 1 (1-877-465-3361).
Tips for protecting your personal information
Email and text scams, along with other cybercrimes, continue to be widespread. Increasing your awareness of these criminal activities is an important line of defense. Below are a few warning signs for common scams, followed by simple tips for protecting your information.
Watch for these red flags
- Emails or text messages requesting your personal information, such as account numbers, PINs, passwords, or your Social Security number
- Messages with threatening or high-pressure language
- Demands or requests for money that appear to be from a friend or family member in trouble
- Too-good-to-be true offers, business opportunities, or unexpected cash refunds
What not to do
- Never share personal information if you aren’t 100% certain who you’re giving it to
- Never reply to an email or text that seems suspicious or threatening
- Do not click links or open attachments in unsolicited emails or texts
- Avoid using the same password for multiple websites or accounts
- Avoid using unsecured public Wi-Fi networks
What to do
- Create strong passwords using 13 or more characters and change them regularly
- Use multi-factor authentication to access financial accounts
- Always sign out of financial apps when you’re done using them
- Keep your computer’s operating system and anti-virus software up to date
- Always shred documents containing sensitive information before trashing them
- Sign up for Credit Sense at Golden 1 for free 24/7 access to your credit report, insights into your credit score, monitoring alerts, and more
- Watch our brief ID Theft Safety video
- Listen to our Identity Theft Protection Podcast
- Download the Golden 1 Mobile app* from your device’s app store and monitor your accounts regularly with ease
One of the best ways to protect your information and identity is to check your account statements and credit report regularly to look for suspicious activity or unauthorized charges. You can order one free credit report annually from all three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) at www.annualcreditreport.com.
How Golden 1 protects you
Protecting your personal information online is a top priority at Golden 1. We take multiple security measures to protect you. Here are just a few:
- Monitoring – If our system ever detects unusual online behavior, we’ll ask you additional security questions when you’re signing into your account
- Encryption – Secure sockets layer (SSL) and transport layer security (TLS) technology encrypts our online data
- Extended Validation certification – When you visit golden1.com, the gray lock in your browser bar indicates you’re on the real Golden 1 website
- Card Controls app allows you to suspend your credit or debit card if you’ve misplaced it, reactivate it when it turns up, get fraud alerts, and more
We’re Stronger Together Against Fraud
Learn more about how to protect yourself from cybercrime, fraud, and identity theft. Visit our Identity Theft and Fraud Protection page with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and our Financial Wellness Center. If you ever suspect you have been the target of a cybercrime involving any of your Golden 1 accounts, contact our Member Service Contact Center immediately at 1-877-GOLDEN 1 (1-877-465-3361).
*Message and data rates may apply. Check with your mobile provider.
