Tomah Chamber & Visitors Center Newsletter January Newsletter 2020 | Page 10

A New You in 2020 Shouldn’t Mean a Stolen Identity Quarterly Update In the world of social media, everything is online and public for all to view. With the numerous updates we face every day, it’s important to keep yourself up-to-date on what social networking sites share to others and how you can limit those settings. This year, resolve to protect yourself online with these simple tips! Be Cautious When Adding Friends Timberwood Bank is joining Bank First As you may have heard, we are pleased to announce Timberwood Bank will soon become part of the Bank First family. On November 19, 2019, we formally agreed to merge. We believe this move will strengthen community banking in Tomah and the surrounding communities. Merging with Bank First will ensure we have the resources required to meet the demands of a competitive marketplace and continue to deliver innovative products and services to our customers. You can expect to see no change in the high-quality, personalized level of care and service you currently receive. The closing of the transaction is expected to take place in spring of 2020. As the merger approaches, you will receive communication regarding the suite of products and services that will be available to you. We are confident the merger of Timberwood Bank with Bank First will allow us to better meet the needs of the customers and communities we serve. Being constantly bombarded with friend requests and follows slowly weakens your cautiousness. You begin to accept more people without really digging in. This makes you a target for hackers. When someone has a friend in common on Facebook, this doesn’t mean you should just add them. Make sure you truly know the person before accepting a follow/friend request. Comb through your friends list now and delete those you don’t know. Update Your Privacy Settings It’s important to update your privacy settings so only friends and followers can see your posts. Hackers and other unwanted viewers are able to see your posts and photos if you keep things on public. Don’t Enable Auto Login Yes, it’s easier to have your phone and computer “remember” your password and username. However, if someone were to gain access to your phone, they would automatically have access to all material and credit card info that is auto saved on sites. Change Passwords Frequently This may be an old tip, but it is the MOST important. Changing your password every 30-60 days and making sure it’s different from your other accounts will increase your security online exponentially. Stop Geotagging This is one of the most dangerous features now enabled on social networks and devices. Most people don't realize Twitter and Instagram both use geotagging (which stores the latitude and longitude of your Tweet or image) for everything you send out. Pictures you take on an iPhone usually store geotagging information as well. This gives unwanted people way too much information about your location. Enable Two-Factor Authentication This feature has become an important addition to many social networking sites. It can be frustrating when trying to log in on a new device, but enabling Two-Factor Authentication means you will be alerted right away if someone is trying to log in. These security tips are easy ways to start down the path of becoming more secure while online. It’s better to be aware of the features these sites hold and know exactly how they can help or hurt you. WINTER 2019/2020 10