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Security

Online transactional services

The rules governing our online transactional services reflect the highest standards of the financial industry and comply with the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector.

All transactions conducted as part of our online transactional services are encrypted during secure-environment sessions to protect the confidentiality of data exchanged between the Desjardins mainframe and the browser used with your computer. To use these services, you must have the latest version of Microsoft Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Safari.

Firewall

Access to our Web site is controlled by a firewall, which is a security device that filters requests for access to our Web site and blocks any attempts at unauthorized access.

Fraudulent email

When sending fraudulent emails, scam artists often use the same colours as financial institutions to get your personal information. Several warning signs can help you recognize a phishing email. Focus on the message's content rather than the logos, signatures or various security elements, which can easily be forged.

Here are 3 warning signs to help you recognize a fraudulent email. Note that in every case, the situation is unexpected.

Emergency

Phishing emails aim to get you to act quickly and without thinking by creating a feeling of urgency and emphasizing the consequences.

Examples:

  • You must update your personal information before your financial institution account is frozen or expires.
  • You receive an email from Desjardins telling you that your web account related to your financial institution could be compromised. You're asked to click a link to identify yourself and change your password.
  • Fraud was committed in your financial institution account and, without your validation, you're held responsible.

Profit

Phishing emails aim to make you believe that you got some sort of benefit or advantage, without having requested it or signing up for it. Scam artists focus on the benefit to push you to reveal personal information.

Examples:

  • You're asked to click a link to redeem your benefit. The benefit is unexpected and from an unknown source.
  • You win an official contest from your financial institution that you never entered. To redeem your prize, you have to click the link to identify yourself.
  • You receive an Interac payment service email telling you that your caisse reimbursed you the administrative fees you were overcharged and that you must follow the steps to deposit the money in your account.

Problem

Phishing emails aim to inform you of a problem with your account. The situation requires that you reveal personal information to solve the problem.

Examples:

  • You receive an email from your financial institution saying that there are problems with its website. To resolve the situation, you're asked to click a link to identify yourself and confirm by email if you're able to access the site.
  • There was an attempt to break into your computer.
  • An accounting error was made in your account and corrected. The email has a link for you to log in to the financial institution website.

These emails are always unexpected, unsolicited and ask you to click a link to confirm your personal information. If, in addition to these 3 warning signs, you're asked for your personal information or you're redirected to your financial institution transactional site, be very careful!

Be aware of the content in the messages you receive and when in doubt, don't reply!

Protecting your identity

We do everything in our power to keep the information you provide during your online sessions confidential. Nevertheless, you should also take the personal safety measures we recommend in order to maintain optimal security.

Passwords

  • Select a password that is easy to remember.
  • Avoid sequences that are too obvious (e.g.: 1,2,3) or passwords based on personal data. And never use part of your credit card PIN number.
  • Never disclose your password to anyone else.
  • Don't save your password in your computer's memory.
  • Don't write your password down on a piece of paper.
  • Finally, to ensure maximum security, change your password on a regular basis.

Terminating a session

It is important to terminate your session once you've finished using online transactional services, whenever you must momentarily step away from your computer workstation, or else when you leave your wireless device unattended.

To end a session securely, you must click on Log off, clear your cache memory and close your browser.

This security procedure is particularly important if the computer from which you conduct your transactions is shared with other users.

  1. Log off

    We recommend you terminate your session by clicking the Log off button that is located in the upper right corner of the screen.

  2. Clear cache memory

    Cache memory is a temporary memory in your computer or wireless device used to locally store information that you accessed during a session. When you need to retrieve this information, your computer or wireless device gets it from the cache memory rather than from main memory where it was originally stored. Cache memory thus speeds up the retrieval and display time for information you consult while browsing.

    At the end of a session in your financial institution account, you could therefore have personal financial data in your computer or wireless device cache memory. To protect the confidentiality of such information, make sure that you clear the cache memory at the end of each session.

    If you don't know how to clear your browser's cache memory, check your browser's help section.

  3. Close the browser.

    Closing the browser is the simplest and most secure way of terminating your session as it deletes stored information, which ensures that your data cannot be accessed.