Identity theft occurs when someone uses personal identifying information such as your name, PPSN, date of birth, to impersonate you and commit fraud. It is important to remain vigilant at all times, to protect your personal information, and to stay informed, to avoid identity theft and financial fraud. If criminals access your personal information they can use it to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, request credit histories, and commit other types of fraud such as purchasing goods in your name. State Savings have robust controls in place to protect you, but you play an important role in the control process. Here are some ways in which you can protect your identity and your savings with State Savings: Telephone: You should be highly suspicious if you receive an unsolicited phone call requesting you to provide password/ login details or disclose or confirm any sensitive, personal or security information. Do not provide the requested information. Hang up the call ensuring the line is not left open and call State Savings back directly on 0818 20 50 60 / 01 705 7200. Text messages: Do not respond to any text messages purporting to be from State Savings, even if they appear genuine and originating from a genuine phone number. Never click on links in these text messages. Instead delete the text messages from your mobile device immediately. Never reply to text messages or disclose your personal details such as name, email, PPSN. How to keep safe online: Avoid public Wi-Fi networks such as coffee shops, hotels, public transport, when accessing StateSavings.ie or any of the secure areas on the website. Public Wi-Fi networks may not be secure. Look for the padlock icon near the website address in your browser. Our website address will always start with https:// followed by www.statesavings.ie. The padlock will be present on all pages on our website. Ensure your password(s) are unique. Use a strong password. Here are the password requirements when creating a password for State Savings Online. Always keep your devices and Internet browsers up to date with the latest software and security patches available for the software vendor or manufacturer. Never share your password(s)/login details with anyone. Take care when downloading files such as music, videos, software. These files may be infected or have “malware” programmes attached. Be cautious of emails, even if they look genuine. Never respond to an email with personal or security information. Do not click on any unexpected links or attachments in an email as they could infect your device or direct you to a fake website. Keep your State Savings Online one-time PIN letter private. After you have used it, dispose of the letter securely. Never leave your computer or smartphone unattended while logged into a secure area of StateSavings.ie.