Fraud prevention refresher: 5 tips to help protect yourself
Online fraud and cyber-attacks on Canadians have increasingly made headlines over the last few years. The online environment has changed, from traditional telemarketing and mail to social media and artificial intelligence.
To help prevent and protect yourself against fraudulent activities, it’s important to stay aware. It’s always a good time for a fraud refresher, and a reminder to stay vigilant. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe.
Online safety tips
1. Strengthen your passwords
Use strong passwords (long, complex and unique) rather than a short password. Avoid using family and pet names, birthdates, or personal information (or anything that someone could easily guess) for your password. And don’t use the same password for all your online accounts. Adding multi-factor authentication wherever possible also helps to keep your accounts safe.
One of the easiest ways to create and remember a longer password is to use a passphrase – a sentence or phrase that you’d remember with some special characters/numbers and capitalizations. Check out password best practices from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
2. Don’t give out your personal information
Be cautious of requests for your personal information, your username and password, or any financial information. Are you sure the person you are corresponding with is who they say they are?
If you receive online correspondence from someone who says they are from Qtrade Direct Investing, and you’re unsure, do not reply directly to the email, or contact that person at the number they’ve provided. To be safe, you should contact us directly at 1.877.787.2330 or directInvesting@qtrade.ca.
3. Be wary of links and attachments
If you receive an unsolicited email, do not click on links or open/download any attachments. Regardless of the topic, don’t feel pressured to click on anything. Urgency should be a red flag.
4. Bookmark our website
Online financial websites and mobile apps in Canada tend to have strong security features when you’re using them. That’s often the most secure way to transact or communicate with the support team. To ensure you’re using the right website, bookmark the Qtrade website (https://www.qtrade.ca) and download our mobile apps Apple or Android.
5. Change your password, if necessary
If you suspect your account has been compromised, immediately change your password and call Qtrade customer support at 1.877.787.2330.
Where to find fraud resources
The information contained in this article was obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, we cannot guarantee that it is accurate or complete. This material is for informational and educational purposes and it is not intended to provide specific advice including, without limitation, investment, financial, tax or similar matters.