Helpful tips Our top tips for keeping your information safe

• Keep your customer number and account numbers safe at all times.
• Avoid writing down your password and security details. If you write them down because you think you might forget them, make sure it is in a way that will not be readily identifiable by someone else and keep them in separate places.
• Never disclose your security details to anyone, even if you share a joint account.
• The Society may ask for your customer number and specific characters of your security answers to help identify you on our system. We will never ask you for the full answers to any of your security details.
• It is advisable to change your password regularly.

Never leave your computer unattended when you are accessing your account online. For your security our Online Service will automatically log you out after a short period of inactivity.

Try to avoid logging on to a secure site using a computer in a public place as you cannot be certain about the computer’s security.

We do not recommend that you access your Online Service via public Wi-Fi hotspots, they may be very convenient but the way in which you have to connect to them can be very risky.

As email is not a secure form of communication, it is safer to use the Secure Messaging Service, accessible from within our Online Service, when enquiring about your account.

The Society strongly recommends that you have up to date anti-virus software installed on your device. The more superior anti-virus programs have an ‘Auto Update’ feature which updates your software to protect you against the latest viruses.

Spyware is a general term for hidden programs that invade your privacy. They collect information about you and send it over the internet without your permission.  Sometimes it can hijack your computer and display unwanted advertising pop-ups.  Spyware can slow down your computer and internet connection and at worse can pass on security details to criminals.  The Society suggests running an anti-spyware program frequently to remove any threats.  Anti-Spyware programs can be downloaded free of charge from the internet.

Firewalls are programs that protect your computer against unauthorised traffic to and from your computer and block unwanted internet activity. Like anti-virus software, firewalls can be purchased from most computer stores.

You can always tell whether or not a connection is secure.  Secure website addresses usually begin with the letters https: and your browser will display an icon, usually a closed padlock or an unbroken key.

While these symbols are good indicators that you are visiting a genuine site, you must be aware that spoof sites do exist and therefore you should never follow a link in an email to the Society’s website, always type the website address www.mhbs.co.uk into your browser manually.