Cybersafety - Ways to Safeguard Against Cyber Threats

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As technology becomes more sophisticated, cyber threats are increasingly on the rise. The ABA Retirement Funds Program (“Program”) wants to make you aware of ways you can protect yourself online.

Cybercriminals target individuals through email (Phishing), text messaging (Smishing), and over the phone (Vishing). Here’s how you can safeguard yourself:

• Keep your computer up to date with patches, updates, and anti-virus software.
• Use multifactor authentication on all sensitive systems to add an extra layer of security and make it harder for attackers to bypass security measures.
• Do not share your username, password or one-time passcode information with anyone. The Program’s service providers – ABA Retirement Funds, Voya Financial, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC, and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. will never call, email or text you for this information.
• Do not reuse login credentials across different websites. Reusing passwords is not safe.
• Watch for pressure tactics: Scammers typically use urgency and fear to manipulate victims. Be wary of messages that stir a strong emotion and ones that request immediate financial transactions or sensitive information.
• Treat links with extra caution if the message warns of pending account closures, scheduled payment failures or suspicious activity on one of your financial accounts.
• Verify caller identities: If a caller requests sensitive information over the phone, hang up; if they request it through voicemail, do not call them back using the number provided. Instead, contact the institution directly using a verified number. Verify the caller’s position, purpose, and organization to ensure legitimacy.
• Stay vigilant! Don’t blindly trust any emails, texts, or calls you receive. Be a “Smart Skeptic.”

Be sure to take advantage of the Program’s strong online security by setting up your retirement account recovery preferences and confirming your contact information. Login to your account and navigate to My Profile in the upper right-hand corner of your retirement account homepage.

If you've never logged into your online account, you must first set up a unique username and password by visiting abaretirement.com > Participant Login > Register Now.