Stay Smart Online week

Stay smart online

Stay Smart Online week is an Australian Government initiative, long supported by Westpac.

This Stay Smart Online week (7-13 October), we stand united with our government partners and other Australian businesses, to bring cybercrime out of the shadows and put cyber security into the spotlight.

Cybercrime is a growing problem, both here in Australia and at a global level. The emotional and financial impact to individuals, businesses and the community as a whole is enormous.

Reversing our homepage from colour to black and white is just one way we are supporting this initiative – to show solidarity, capture your attention and raise awareness of the 'dark side' of the web.

We continue to safeguard your financial and personal information with ongoing improvements to our systems and security measures.

You too can help reverse the threat of cybercrime by taking the time to implement some simple steps to help you and your family take control of your online identity.

For more information on online security visit westpac.com.au/security.

Did you know?
Protect yourself
What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted

Did you know?

1 in 5 Australians have experienced identity theft – a statistic we need to reverse.*

Many Australians still think about their personal information (phone number, date of birth, email address etc) differently to their personal belongings (car, house, wallet etc).

Isn’t it strange how we always lock our front door when we leave the house but not our computer or mobile device?

Why do our physical belongings hold more value to us than our digital identities?

The steps we take today can help protect our online identity in the same way we protect our physical belongings.

* Symantec 2018, 'Norton Lifelock Cyber Safety Insights Report: Australian Results'

Protect yourself

You can fight back against cybercriminals by taking some simple steps to help you stay protected when connected:

Create strong, unique passwords for all your online accounts and change them regularly. Think of your passwords as the keys to your online life and identity – they should be different for every site or app you use.
Protect your identity - never provide your personal or security details, including customer ID, passwords or Security codes, in response to an email, phone call or SMS, even if it looks or sounds legitimate.
Use multi-factor authentication whenever available eg. email accounts, to access sensitive information, when making payments online.
Multi-factor authentication can include something you know (password), something you have (SMS Code or token) and/or something you are (a fingerprint).
Set up Westpac Protect™ SMS Code or SecurID® Tokens to provide an extra layer of protection by generating a one-time code, to authorise certain transactions or activities within online or mobile banking
Be careful what you share online - Question all new requests for your personal information. Don’t share sensitive information in email, SMS or on social media networks with people you don’t know or trust personally. Remember, not everyone is who they say they are online.
Use social media carefully - Be familiar with your privacy and security settings and ensure you only share what you want, with who you want.
Be wary of posts or ‘games’ that ask you to enter personal information and don’t share or post information that could compromise the security of you or others such as addresses, date of birth, contact details, children’s school information, holiday plans etc.
Beware of phishing scams - be cautious of unsolicited request for information by email, SMS, over the phone or online. Always stop and think before you open suspicious texts, pop-up windows or unusual links or attachments - could this be a phishing scam?
One wrong click could potentially infect your computer with malicious software (malware) or be a direct link to phishing (scam) sites, designed to capture your personal or sensitive information.
Look out for each other - Take the time to speak to your friends, family and colleagues. Encourage them to be aware of cyber threats and what they can do to take control of their online identity.

For more information on how you can help reverse the threat of cybercrime, visit Stay Smart Online.

Register for the Stay Smart Online email alert service, delivered by the Australian Cyber Security Centre, to receive the alerts on the latest scams and cyber threats targeting Australians.

What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted

If you’re concerned that you have been the target of fraud or scams, or that your personal or financial information has been compromised in any way, there are steps you can take straight away to limit the damage and protect yourself from further loss.

If you’ve shared your banking or credit card details, contact us immediately.
Report scams and cyber threats to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
If your personal information has been stolen or compromised, in any way, contact IDCARE (www.idcare.org), Australia and New Zealand’s not-for-profit national identity and cyber support service. IDCARE can work with you to develop a specific response plan to your situation and provide support to help you through the process.
Report suspicious emails to hoax@westpac.com.au
Report suspicious SMS messages to 0497 132 032

For more information on how to reverse the threat of cybercrime please visit the Stay Smart Online website.