Privacy & Security

Privacy Code

We follow the 10 Principles of the Credit Union Code for the Protection of Personal Information:

1. Accountability - We have designated a Privacy Officer who is accountable for our compliance with the principles of the Code.
   
   
2. Identifying Purposes - When we ask you for personal information, we will identify the purposes for which it will be used or disclosed.
   
   
3. Consent - We require your knowledge and express or implied consent for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information.
   
   
4. Limiting Collection - The collection of personal information is limited to the purposes we have identified for you.
   
   
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention - We will use or disclose your personal information only with your express or implied consent, or as required by law. We will retain your information for only as long as is necessary to fulfill identified purposes.
   
   
6. Accuracy - We will keep your information accurate, complete and up to date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
   
   
7. Safeguards - We will protect your personal information with appropriate security safeguards.
   
   
8. Openness - We will make specific, understandable information readily available to you about our personal information policies and practices.
   
   
9. Individual Access - When you request it, we will give you access to your personal information, how we use it and who we disclose it to. You are entitled to question its accuracy, its completeness, and its uses.
   
   
10. Challenging Compliance - You are entitled to question the Privacy Officer about our compliance with any of these principles.

See our Protecting Your Privacy brochure (pdf) for more details.

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Fraud and Cybercrime

Banking safely and securely is top of mind and Innovation’s digital banking is safeguarded with the best technology available.

You may ask yourself “What can I do to help prevent fraud and cybercrime?”

You play an important role in protecting and safeguarding your systems and accounts. We’ll regularly educate you about best practices like installing software updates, protecting your passwords and email accounts, and being aware of phishing scams.  To ensure you have a safe and secure online banking experience, we encourage you to enable the following security features on all your online accounts:

Use strong security questions
If you choose not to enable Autodeposit, when sending money through Interac e-Transfer®, ensure that your security questions are difficult to guess. Avoid answers that can easily be found online or through your social media pages, for example, your pet's name, or your favourite vacation destination. Never send the answer to the security question in the message you add to the transfer.

Use a secure internet connection
Stay clear of public Wi-Fi, especially if you’re logging into any accounts with private or sensitive information, like your bank account.

Use strong, complex passwords
A strong password is critical to protecting your online accounts. Passwords are often the first defence against cyber criminals. They protect personal information, like your bank accounts, health data, or private documents from falling into the wrong hands.

Use One-Time Passwords (OTP), Two-Factor, or Multifactor authentication
Whenever possible enable the One-Time Password, Two-Factor, or Multifactor authentication features. Enabling OTP, two or multifactor authentication adds an extra layer of security because you verify your identity in two or more ways: a strong password and either a numeric code or some sort of biometric like a fingerprint.

Update Contact Information
Ensure that you let us know when your contact information changes. (i.e. phone number, address, etc.)

Log out of your session
When you are finished with your banking session, always log out by clicking the "Log Out" button, as opposed to simply closing the web browser or mobile application window. To help protect your information, your online banking session will end automatically if there has been no activity for a specified amount of time. If your session has timed out, no further transactions can be made until you log in again. This time-out feature helps protect your accounts from unauthorized access if your PC is left unattended or if you have forgotten to log out.

Autodeposit for Interac e-transfer®
With Interac e-Transfer Autodeposit, there’s no need to log into your digital banking or answer a security question to receive a transfer. Once you register your email or mobile phone number, anytime someone sends you money, the funds will be automatically deposited into the specified account. This service eliminates the need for a security question and answer in every transaction lessening the risk that someone unintended could intercept the funds.

Computer and Smart Phone Security

We have created a secure channel to communicate with you but keeping your computer up-to-date and virus-free will ensure a safer experience.

Operating Systems
Your computer's operating system needs to be up to date to defend itself from viruses and malicious software (malware). If one part of your operating system develops a virus, it leaves holes in your PC's security defences and compromises the safety of the information contained in your computer. Keeping your software up to date is one of the most important ways of staying safe online because it is much harder for viruses to infect an updated operating system and software. Hackers are targeting operating systems with new viruses all the time and software companies combat these efforts with security patches. You should always download the latest security patch as soon as it becomes available.

Your operating system lets you know when updates are available by notifying you there are new security features to download. You can also upgrade your operating system to the latest version available from the manufacturer; however, you should ensure your computer has sufficient hardware capacity to support an upgrade.

Remember to back up your data. To fully eliminate a virus that has infected your machine, the re-installation of your operating system may be required. Protect yourself against the permanent loss of important data by frequently backing up your files on an external hard drive so you'll have the data should you ever have a problem with your operating system.

Web Browsers
Web browsers are the gateways to the Internet. Like having an up-to-date operating system, upgraded browsers provide more features, stability, and security. Whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or something else, stay safe online by using the latest version available. 

The latest versions of web browsers have security features that can identify and block harmful website, pop-ups, and warn you if a site is unsafe.. Some browsers also have a feature which conceals your browsing history from others.

We suggest you update your browser as soon as possible and check for updates monthly.

Antivirus Software
Verify if an antivirus software is installed on your computer. Windows 10 comes prebuilt with Windows Defender. Check to make sure that the software is updated on a weekly basis.

Firewalls
A firewall protects your computer and home network from harmful websites and hackers. It sits between your computer and the Internet, scanning information that is being transmitted. It allows for safe browsing, while blocking unauthorized intrusions. Even though you may think you have no information of value on your PC, firewalls also stop your computer from being used by hackers to send malicious software to other computers.

Most computers now come with a firewall as part of the standard operating system. However, you can get the maximum protection for your computer by installing additional firewalls and ensuring they are kept up to date.

Protecting Your Smartphone
Browsing the web has never been easier – it's all at your fingertips. Smartphones let you surf, shop, or bank wherever you are. Make sure your information stays secure while you're on the move by following these smartphone-safe browsing tips:

• Activate your phone's password feature, which locks the screen and prevents anyone but you from accessing your phone. Set up the password feature on your phone with a code that only you know.
  
  
• Don't connect to unknown networks through Wi-Fi hotspots to make financial transactions.
  
  
• Beware of smishing – that's phishing on phones through text messages. Never download media or images or click on text-message links that come from unrecognizable people or phone numbers. Never provide personal details or any account details using any form of electronic messaging because this is not a secure form of communication. If you are unsure, please contact us.
  
  
• Download apps exclusively from the official source for your smartphone's platform, such as the Android, Apple, or BlackBerry stores.
  
  
• Install antivirus software for your smartphone when available and update it frequently.
  
  
• Install location finding applications, which work with your phone's built-in GPS. These applications allow you to locate and/or remotely erase (or "wipe") data in your phone if it is lost or stolen.
  
  
• Update your smartphone's operating system as soon as newer versions are available.