E-Mail Safety

  • Use secure Internet connections whenever you transmit sensitive information.
    • Configure your modem as a secured network, requiring a password for access. Secured networks are listed with a closed padlock icon next to their names.  If yours is listed with an open padlock, consult your modem manual for instructions on securing your network.
    • Configure your system so that it does not connect automatically to unsecured networks.
    • Whenever you choose to use an unsecured network -- typically available in public places -- do not transmit private information.  Don't use an unsecured network for banking or for making purchases.
    • Do business only with secure sites -- those for whom your Internet browser displays a padlock icon at the bottom of the screen.
    • It may be possible for these icons to be falsified; you're safer still if you do business only on sites you know to be reputable. State Savings Bank, for example, provides maximum security.  You can transact business safely at www.ssbankmi.com.
  • Don't include sensitive information in email. Sensitive customer information means a customer's name, address or telephone number in conjunction with the customer's Social Security number, driver's license number, account number, credit or debit card number, or a personal identification number or password that would permit access to the customer's account. It also includes any combination of components of customer information that would allow someone to log on to or access the customer's account, such as user name and password or password and account number.
    • If you must send sensitive information, mask out all but the last four digits of your account number.
  • Never click on links within an email. Never open email attachments from unknown sources or with unlikely subject lines.  A message from your mother entitled "Get free products here," for example, is likely to be fraudulent.
  • Don't open SPAM or attachments from strangers. Don't download files from unknown sources, and don't download files from solicitations.  Download only from vendors or individuals that you know and trust.
  • Be suspicious of emails asking for personal information.
  • Be selective when providing your email address.
  • Ignore email chain letters, and don't pass them on. If a chain letter appeal tugs at your heartstrings, you can visit www.snopes.com to determine whether it's a hoax -- or simply outdated.