Stay cyber-savvy this Cyber Smart Week

At Heartland we pride ourselves on making things easier for our customers. We offer online self-service for many of our products and banking services because we know that your time is precious and better spent doing the things you really want to do. However, the frequency of online scams and cyber-attacks is ever increasing, with Kiwis losing almost $2 million a month to cyber criminals. That’s your hard-earned cash, and we’re committed to keeping it just that – yours.

This Cyber Smart Week (30 October – 5 November), we’re supporting New Zealand’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT NZ) to highlight the importance of staying secure online.

CERT NZ has found that despite being aware of cyber security risks, New Zealanders aren’t necessarily taking the simple actions that can protect them.

How to protect yourself online

Create a safe password

The best way to stay secure online is to create long, strong, and unique passwords. The password you use for online banking should be different to any other password you use on the internet. Get creative with it – use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters with a mix of numbers and symbols. Or you could use a passphrase (random phrases of four or more words, for example coffeecounts.asameal or mapsshouldbe-southsideup), these make for the best passwords.

We recommend using a password manager to make sure your passwords are strong and impossible to guess. A password manager allows you to store all your passwords in one safe place. All you need to do is remember the original ‘master password’ for the password manager, and it will remember the rest of your passwords for you.

We will never ask you for your Heartland Digital or Mobile App password or Keep Safe questions and answers.

Think before you click

Scammers are getting clever at sending text and email messages that look like they come from your bank. Be wary of opening links and attachments in text messages, emails or on social media. These can be used by attackers to get hold of your personal details, or to install malware on your device. Even if you think the text might be legitimate, it’s better to use another method to go to the organisation’s website. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

If you receive a phone call, email or request for your password, contact us immediately on 0800 85 20 20 and press 1, or email [email protected]. If you’re overseas at the time, you can call us on +64 9 927 9641. We’re available Monday to Friday, 8.00am – 5.30pm.

Use automatic updates

Activate automatic updates on apps and devices and be sure to only use the official app store when installing a new app on your device. Updates aren’t just about getting the latest features available – they also protect you from any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that could let attackers in. The easiest way to do this is by going to settings and turning on automatic updates.

For compatibility and increased security, we recommend that you use the latest version of every app and your browser.

Head to CERT NZ for more helpful tips to stay secure online.

Your online security and identity is important to us and we work hard to make sure your details are kept safe. If you detect any suspicious online behaviour or email scams, please contact our Heartland security team immediately. Email us at [email protected]. Our emails are monitored 24/7 and we’ll respond within three working days.

Read more about how we are committed to protecting your information online.