Online banking — safer than the mailbox.

Surprise: paper statements in an unlocked mailbox are a bigger identity-theft risk than a properly set up banking app. "Properly" is five rules. Here they are, in plain words.

The five rulesThis is the whole ballgame

1. Only the official app or typed address. Get the app from the App Store / Play Store, or type your bank’s address yourself. Never reach your bank through a link in an email or text — that is how fakes catch people.

2. A password used nowhere else. Your bank password must be unique. (The passwords lesson makes this painless.)

3. Turn on two-step codes. The texted code when you sign in is your seatbelt. Say yes to it. But know: your bank sends codes, it never CALLS to ask you to read one back. Anyone calling to ask for a code is a thief, including "bank staff."

4. Turn on alerts. In the app, switch on notifications for every transaction over a small amount. Fraud caught same-day is an annoyance; caught in month three it is a disaster.

5. Check on YOUR schedule. Open the app once or twice a week yourself. Never because an email or call told you to.

Setup helpGet it configured without frustration

Your AI helper can walk you through any of it, step by step, at your pace — or write the exact questions to ask at your local branch, where staff will happily set up the app with you. That in-person option is underrated: ten minutes at the branch beats an afternoon of squinting.

Calm checkWhat a scary email is worth

"Suspicious activity on your account!" emails are almost always fake, designed to panic you into clicking. The calm response: do not click, open your banking app yourself (rule 1), and look. Thirty seconds, no adrenaline. If something truly is wrong, the app shows it and the number on your card reaches the real fraud team.