Steps you can take to protect your information
You can take additional precautions as a consumer to protect yourself from e-mail and online fraud. Here are just a few ideas to help:
Your User ID and password are the keys to accessing your account. Don't share your User ID and password with anyone that you don't want accessing your account.
You can help prevent security breaches by thoughtfully creating your password. If you already created a password, you can modify it by selecting the Personal Choices tab in CaroLine. Tips on creating unique passwords.
Once you have a unique password, you need to protect it. Commit you password to memory, don't write it down and don't share it. When leaving CaroLine On-Line Banking be sure to logoff. We also recommend you close your browser.
Remember that creating phony Web sites and sending bogus e-mails is easy to do. Be cautious about the e-mails you reply to!
Never click on a link in an e-mail message that asks you to provide sensitive personal, financial or account information.
If you are asked to update or verify personal or account information, call Mercantile directly.
If asked for personal or account information in an e-mail message, go directly to the company's Web site. Open a new browser window, type in the Web Address (e.g. www.bankmercantile.com) and check to see if you must actually perform the task the e-mail may be asking you to do. This may include things like changing your password or opting for electronic statements.
Never give out your account information or passwords to anyone.
If you are concerned that you responded to a fraudulent e-mail or Web site, report the fraud immediately and change your passwords.
Frequently monitor your account activity.
Always sign off Web sites or secure areas of Web sites (for example, Internet Banking) for which you use an ID and password to enter.
When your computer is not in use, shut it down or disconnect it from the Internet if you are not fully protected by a firewall.
