Safety & Fraud

Hack-Proof or Easy Pickings?

Strong passwords help keep your personal and financial information safe online. Learn what makes a password tough to crack, then practice creating one yourself.

What Makes a Strong Password?

  • 1

    Avoid personal information.
    Don’t use any personal information that someone could easily guess about you or find on social media – like your name, birthday, pet’s name, or address. If it’s something you’ve shared online, don’t use it in a password!

  • 2

    Use a mix of character types.
    Adding special characters (like !, @, #, $) and a combination of upper and lowercase letters are a good way to keep your password safe. The more variety, the harder it is to guess.

  • 3

    Make it long.
    Longer = stronger. Strong passwords are typically 12-16 characters or more. Just make sure you remember what it is!

Create a password that’s:

  • At least 12 characters long
  • Not based on personal info
  • Includes a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters

Clear

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Safety & Fraud
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