Your online security
Password selection
Secure login
Keep your computer safe with anti-virus and firewall software
Internet and e-mail transmission/viruses
E-mail fraud, brand spoofing and phishing
Tips for e-mail safety
Protect your identity
How does identity theft happen?
Identity theft tips to protect yourself

Your online security

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is committed to keeping your confidential information safe.   FCC Online Services uses 128-bit encryption, which is the highest level of security available to protect our online customers’ information. The browsers supported by FCC Online Services are Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5.5 and Netscape® 7.1. If you need to change your browser, follow these links to the Microsoft® and Netscape® sites.

FCC will continue to monitor security issues, updating and improving security when it is reasonable and practical to do so.

Password selection

For your protection, we require that you “login” to secure areas of our website using your username and password. Your password should be kept secret at all times because it is used to help verify your identity before you are permitted access to your accounts and information.

You may be required or permitted to set or change your password from time to time. Certain password selection rules will be automatically enforced at the time of selection. It is recommended that passwords should:

• be different from any other personal identification number or other secret code used by you for banking services or any other type of services
• not contain any information about you that may be easily obtained or guessed by someone else (such as your name, birth date, telephone number, address or username)
• not be changed to any password previously used by you

If you are unable to provide the correct password, you will not be granted access. If you or someone enters your username or password incorrectly three times, your account will be locked. To unlock your account, call the FCC Customer Service Centre at 1-888-332-3301.

Secure login

When you login successfully, your web browser will establish a secure SSL (Secure Socket Layer) connection between your computer and our web servers. This will allow you to communicate with us privately and to conduct online transactions safely. To make sure your browser has established a secure connection, look for a padlock security symbol located at the bottom left or right corner of your browser. You may also check the address bar of your browser. If the address starts with “https://” the session is secured.

To further protect against unauthorized access to your accounts, our online system is designed to automatically terminate a secure online session if extended inactivity is detected. If your session terminates, you will have to login again to continue your activities.

Keep your computer safe with anti-virus and firewall software

Whenever you use your personal computer and the Internet, there is a potential risk of contracting a computer virus or the possibility of infiltration by intrusion software known as a Trojan horse. Computer viruses can modify programs, delete files and erase the content of hard drives. Trojan horses can have similar effects and may be able to capture keystrokes, including passwords or other secret information. Spyware and other deceptive software can also conduct certain activities on your computer without your knowledge or consent.

The potential consequences of any of these threats could include damage to your personal computer, access to your secret information and the inability to use FCC Online Services.

You are responsible for the security associated with your personal computer or other electronic access device. Install a personal firewall system to help protect your computer from intruders. Personal firewalls work in the background to help protect the integrity of your computer system against threats such as viruses, worms or attempted intrusions from a site that’s not trusted.

Internet and e-mail transmission/viruses

Internet software or electronic transmission errors may produce inaccurate or incomplete copies of the content of the FCC website when downloaded and displayed on any computer.

FCC does not assume any liability or responsibility whatsoever for computer viruses or other destructive programs received during the electronic transmission of such content of the FCC website or any sites accessed through links provided therein.

It is strongly recommended that you use virus protection software on any and all computer systems used to access the Internet or in any manner share files with other computer systems. Any unprotected e-mail communication over the Internet is, as with communication via any other medium (cellular phones, post office mail, etc.), subject to possible interception or loss, and is also subject to possible alteration.

However, it is important to note that the Internet is not a secure method of communication and that FCC cannot guarantee the privacy or security of customer information submitted through the FCC website or by e-mail over the Internet.

E-mail safety

E-mail fraud, brand spoofing and phishing

Brand spoofing or phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is a scam where a person sends out legitimate-looking e-mails that appear to come from a legitimate company in an effort to phish for personal and financial information from the e-mail recipient.

Be wary of e-mails with links to websites that appear to be legitimate and request personal or financial information. If you receive one of these e-mails, delete it immediately and do not respond or act on it.

Always remember, FCC will never send customers an e-mail asking for account IDs or passwords.

If you receive a suspicious e-mail that appears to have been sent by Farm Credit Canada, please contact our Customer Service Centre at 1-888-332-3301.

Tips for e-mail safety

• Do not provide confidential personal or banking information to anyone in an e-mail.
• Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that ask for personal financial information.
• You should only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure website.
• Be suspicious of e-mail attachments from unknown sources. If you do not know or recognize the sender of the e-mail, do not open the attachment.
• Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mails that have a sense of urgency and warn that your accounts will be closed or your access limited if you don’t reply.
• Do not set your e-mail program to “auto-run” attachments. Always check that e-mails you have received do not contain viruses by running your anti-virus software when the e-mail attachment is received.
• Don’t use links in an e-mail to get to any web page if you suspect the e-mail might not be authentic.
• If you do have a relationship with the company mentioned in a suspicious e-mail, phone the company or log onto the website directly by typing in the web address in your browser.

Identity theft

Protect your identity

Identify theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Canada and can happen to you at anytime.  Identity theft occurs when somebody steals your name and other personal information for fraudulent purposes.

How does identity theft happen?

Identity thieves steal key pieces of your personal information and use it to impersonate you and commit crimes in your name. In addition to names, addresses and phone numbers, these thieves look for social insurance numbers, driver’s licence numbers, credit card and banking information, bank cards, calling cards, birth certificates and passports. Thieves may physically steal important documents, or they may find out your personal information in other ways, without your knowledge. Once they steal the information, they may use stolen identities to go on spending sprees, open new bank accounts, divert mail, or apply for loans, credit cards and social benefits.

Identity theft – tips to protect yourself

• Find out how your personal information will be used before sharing it.
• Follow up with creditors if your bills do not arrive on time.
• Monitor your credit card statements and bank accounts, and report any unusual transactions as soon as possible.
• Shred documents that contain personal information.
• Select personal identification numbers (PIN) or passwords for your credit cards, bank and phone accounts.
• Carry only the identification that you need.
• Put other identification (SIN, birth certificate, passport) in a secure and safe place.
• Your SIN should only be used for employment and tax reporting purposes.
• Guard your mail. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery.
• Credit report companies allow free access to your credit report one time each year. Your credit report may reflect whether someone has applied for credit in your name, so it’s a good idea to check it if you have concerns. Visit www.equifax.com or www.transunion.ca.

Last modified: October 2006