Banking by phone? Zip your lip in public.

Banking by phone is convenient, but some folks carelessly share their private financial information within range of eavesdroppers. A complaint analyst in our Consumer Resource Center who commutes by train overhead another passenger as she conversed with her bank and credit card providers. The oblivious consumer provided her account numbers, security PINs and passwords – all within earshot of other commuters. A less scrupulous person, like an identity thief, could have easily written down the information then drained the consumer’s accounts.

We’ve also observed risky behavior from folks who use public computers to access their accounts. Your neighborhood library or café is not the place to do your banking. Lookey-loos may be lurking over your shoulder and because everything you type is likely being sent over an unprotected connection, there’s a possibility a thief could intercept it electronically.

Be smart. Bank in private – or at the bank.