Protect yourself

Take a role in protecting personal information and preventing fraud

Protect yourself and your finances by following some simple guidelines.

• Protect your personal information
• Safeguard your account from unauthorised access
• Ensure the Internet Banking site is genuine
• Keep current with types of online fraud

Protect your personal information

Look after your personal information
Remember that your personal information appears on mail, credit cards and identification. Reduce your risk of identify theft and fraud by protecting these valuable items.

• Carry only essential information.
• Don’t leave personal information in your car.
• Pick up your mail promptly.

Offer information only to reliable sources

Be wary if you can’t verify the source asking for your personal information.

• Do not provide personal information unless you have instigated contact and established the organisation or individual’s identity.
• Verify the legitimacy of all requests for personal, financial or account information.

Eliminate paper

Reducing the amount of paper printed with your personal information is a simple way to increase security.

• Register for BPAY View and receive your bills electronically rather than by post.
• Shred financial documents before putting them out with your trash.

Safeguard your account from unauthorised access

• Never reply to emails that request your card or customer access number, security number or Internet password.
• Remember, we will never send an email requesting your personal Internet Banking information or including a link to Internet Banking.
• Ensure your system is protected from viruses and Trojans.
• Update your security number and password regularly. Do this by selecting “Change My Security Number” or “Change My Internet Banking Password” within the “My Information” section of Internet Banking. Keep passwords and security numbers unique and do not use numbers that can be obviously associated with you. For example, avoid your telephone number or birthday.
• Do not download computer software that remembers and pre-populates any access details required to logon to Internet Banking.Some browsers have an ‘auto save’ functionality that enables the browser to remember specific information, such as passwords, when entered. For security reasons we recommend you not enable this preference.
• Never divulge your Phone and Internet Banking Security Number or Internet Banking Password to anyone. Never write down or record this information and take care to ensure no one is watching when you key in this information.

Ensure the Internet Bankingsite is genuine

Look for the padlock

Use only secure sites when entering personal information or logon details. Look for the closed lock image that appears at the bottom of your Web browser.

Check the Server Security Certificate

Verify the Server Security Certificate before logging on. Double click the closed padlock at the bottom of your screen to view the certificate.

Always logon and logout of Internet Banking correctly.

Always logon to Internet Banking by typing www.stgeorge.com.au directly into the address field of your browser, then click on the logon button on the home page. Never logon to Internet Banking by clicking a link embedded in an email.

Always log out of Internet Banking by clicking the Logout button. As additional protection the Internet Banking application will time out after 20 minutes of inactivity.

Monitor your transaction history and statements

Check your transaction history and account statements regularly to ensure there are no unauthorised transactions on your accounts. Contact us immediately if you suspect any such transactions have taken place.

Contact us with your security concerns

Please call the St.George  Internet Banking Helpdesk between 8am - 9pm if you have any questions or concerns regarding Internet security or Internet Banking.

Keep current with types of online fraud

Knowledge is one of your best defences when it comes to fighting fraud. Be aware of the various forms of online fraud.

Fraudulent email and fake websites

Phishing and spoofing are widespread forms of online fraud. Hoax emails direct recipients to a fake web site that then ask for personal account information that is gathered for fraudulent use.

St.George will never send emails to you requesting you to enter your personal information or containing a link to Internet Banking.

We request all customers ignore emails which encourage them to log on to a website and/or enter their Account/Card/Access Number/Password details.

Most hoax emails are poorly worded and may contain grammatical and spelling errors.

What you should look out for

You should be very cautious of any email that asks you to reply with or enter your personal details no matter how real it looks. Do not reply to emails that request your:

• Card or Access Number
• Security Number
• Internet Password

If you receive an email that appears suspicious, please do not click on any links embedded in the email or reply to the email in any way.

If the email claims to be from St.George Bank regarding Internet Banking, let us know by forwarding the email as an attachment to hoax@stgeorge.com.au then delete the email from your mailbox. Please do not alter the subject line in any way.

To view samples of hoax emails in recent circulation visit our Hoax Email Samples page

Viruses and Trojans

Viruses and Trojans are harmful programs that are loaded onto your computer without your knowledge. The goal of these programs may be to obtain or damage information, hinder the performance of your computer, or flood you with advertising.

Viruses spread by infecting computers and then replicating. Trojans appear as genuine applications and then embed themselves into a computer to monitor activity and collect information.

Using a firewall and maintaining current virus protection software can help to minimise your chances of getting viruses and inadvertently downloading Trojans.

Spyware and Adware

When clicking on pop-up advertisements – those that “pop up” in a separate browser window – it’s possible you are also downloading “spyware” or “adware”. These programs also come bundled with free programs, applications or services you may download from the Internet.

These types of software covertly gather user information and monitor Internet activity, usually for advertising purposes.

Be cautious about clicking on Internet banners and pop-ups and downloading free programs. Maintain current security software to detect and remove spyware.

Identity theft

Identity theft occurs when a criminal obtains key pieces of personal information to impersonate someone else. The information can then be used to obtain credit, merchandise, services and false credentials.

Reduce your risk of identify theft and fraud by protecting your personal information; shred documents containing these details before disposing of them.