Security quick tips

Rest easy! Follow our quick tips to keep all your information secure. 

1. General security tips
2. Stay safe online
3. Your Banking
4. Your Device - Computer/phone
5. Your Identity
6. Shopping Online
7. Emails & Texts requesting information
8. Keeping Cheques and Drafts safe

General

• Always ensure that you check your statement to ensure that you can account for every transaction. Contact your bank or card issuer if there are any transactions you believe that you didn't make.
• Regularly access your account online to verify all transactions.

Get all the detailed information you need about staying safe in our Fraud and Financial crime section. 

Stay safe online

Using up-to-date good quality internet security software is a must but you should also protect yourself in other ways:

Your Banking

• Free Wi-Fi is readily available but it may not be secure even when it requires a password. If you use public Wi-Fi you are risking your online identity and your banking details.
• Keep a record of all your online transactions.
• Make sure that you conduct your financial transactions only on a secure webpage using encryption. Look for a closed padlock in the status bar, and see that the URL starts with a “https” instead of just “http”.
• Change passwords regularly– we recommend that you use a separate email address and device for your banking needs.
• Be aware of unsolicited emails asking for bank card or PIN numbers and never divulge this information.
• Be aware of phoney e-mails/websites that try to trick you into giving personal information including mobile telephone numbers, mother’s maiden name and date of birth etc. Try to use a known web address.
• Never send money to or share the details of a money transfer with someone that you do not know.
• Where a site shows the last time that you logged in, always check that this reflects the last time you accessed the website.
• Always type in the web address www.Open24.ie and logon to your internet Banking from there. Avoid saving links to your favourites or clicking on non-PTSB sites or emails as they may be compromised by fraudsters and bring you to a fraudulent website.

Your Device – Computer/phone

• Make sure you have the latest security updates on your computer.
• Install a personal firewall to protect your device contents.
• Install an anti-spyware programme, and password protect your device.
• Never leave your device unattended when you are logged into your account.
• Take extreme care when allowing applications access to your device particularly if you are requested to download applications that allow access to your device by a 3^rd party.
• It is important to have your anti-spyware, spam filters and anti-virus software on your device. Keep it up to date.
• Avoid using the internet in public places, like internet cafes.
• Keep your passwords private and change them often.
• Always clear your browser caches regularly.

Important Information: Remember, PTSB will never call, email or text you asking for: your account details, your Open24 number, Internet Password, Personal Access Number (PAN), your Visa Card CVV number or One Time Passcode. If you ever get an unsolicited phone call, email, text message or pop-up asking for any of these please contact us on 0818­ 50­ 24­ 24 or +353­ 1­ 212­ 4101.

Your Identity

• Be extremely cautious about the type of information that you make public.
• Never post your personal details such as telephone number, date of birth, address or employment details on Social networking sites.
• Learn about site security privacy features on social networking sites and set them to a level you are comfortable with. Be careful who you allow to be your ‘friend’ or join your network.
• Take extreme care when allowing applications access to your pages.
• You should never hand over your username, password, account number or any other personal or confidential information.
• Take care with any information you post on Social Media. Don’t post information that could be used by criminals e.g. address. workplace details, name of school, date of birth, job title etc.
• Be careful when talking to or messaging strangers – you don’t know who they really are and never send money to an unknown source.

Shopping online

• Keep a record of all your online transactions.
• Opt out where you can - companies may send you marketing mail or share your details in mailing lists with other companies.
• Check the URL when you are providing payment details for an online purchase; the "http" should turn into a "https".
• Check the lock symbol on any website's homepage to see if it's genuine before entering your security details.
• Be aware that purchases from private sellers may be more at risk than those from registered businesses. Buy from well-known companies where possible.
• Take care when downloading files such as music, software etc. These files may be infected or have “malware” programmes attached.

Emails & Texts requesting information

• Be skeptical – It’s better to err on the side of caution. Unless you are 100% sure that a particular message is genuine, assume it is not.
• Check the email address. Is it the same as the email address you usually receive emails from, or is it just similar?
• Be careful if there is an urgent call to action in the e-mail such as ”Security Alert”, “Your account has been blocked”, “If you don’t respond your account will be closed”. Criminals want you to act quickly and without taking due care.
• Do not click on links, download files or open attachments in an e-mail unless you are sure of its authenticity.
• Only open an attachment when you are expecting one, when you know what they contain and you are confident it is from a genuine source.
• If you are unsure, pick up the phone, call a secure number from a legitimate source and validate the message. Remember, a genuine individual/company may have had their e-mail compromised.
• If your browser has a pop-up blocker, you should use it.
• Do not copy any website addresses from a pop-up window into your browser, as a legitimate company will not ask you for your information in a pop-up window.

Important Information: Remember, PTSB will never call, email or text you asking for: your account details, your Open24 number, Internet Password, Personal Access Number (PAN), your Visa Card CVV number or One Time Passcode. If you ever get an unsolicited phone call, email, text message or pop-up asking for any of these please contact us on 0818­ 50­ 24­ 24 or +353­ 1­ 212­ 4101.

Keeping Cheques and Drafts safe

• Store all unused and issued cheques in a safe and secure place.
• Ensure that you have control over who has access to your chequebook.
• Do not sign cheques in advance.
• Ensure that you cross all cheques "A/C payee only".
• Always keep your cheque book and bank cards separate at all times.