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Email providers are getting better and better at protecting your accounts, from multi-factor authentication to included anti-virus and spam protection. But as secure as your email accounts might be, there are still inherent risks involved in sending your private information via a regular email.

Whether you have questions on your account, need to provide your mortgage advisor with tax information, or have any other need to provide your banker with your private information, you want to ensure that information doesn’t get into the hands of cybercriminals. Secure Messaging is a way that you can communicate private information securely – much more securely than through a regular email.

What is Secure Messaging?

Secure Messaging is a portal of communication between you and Park Bank that ensures that the information sent and stored using this portal is encrypted and protected from cybercriminals.

Why is Secure Messaging more secure than sending an email?

When you send a Secure Message using Park Bank’s Secure Message Center, you are communicating directly with the Park Bank secure messaging server via an encrypted channel. It also means the information you provide does not live in your email account, so if your email account is ever hacked, there won’t be any private information there to steal!

When you send a regular email, your message needs to travel via multiple email providers across the globe – and that travel time is one place that the message can be intercepted by cybercriminals as not all email providers encrypt email. Additionally, if your email account is ever hacked, any emails you send with private information can be stolen.

When should I use Secure Messaging?

You should attempt to use Secure Email whenever you communicate electronically with your banker at Park Bank, but it is most important when you are sending sensitive, confidential, or private information to your banker. Quick questions and messages that do not contain private information can still be sent via regular email.

Examples of private information include, but are not limited to:

• Account Numbers
• Social Security Numbers
• Card Numbers
• Driver's Licenses/ID/Passport Information
• Tax Information

How do I send a Secure Message to Park Bank?

It’s easy! There is a Secure Message Center link at the bottom of every page on the Park Bank website under Customer Service. Simply click on the Secure Message Center link, and you will be able to either register (if it is your first time using the service), or sign in if you have already used the service before.

How would I receive a Secure Message from my banker?

When your banker sends you a Secure Message, you will get an email notification that you have received a secure message from Park Bank. When you open the email, it will include instructions for retrieving the message, which will include setting up an account if you haven’t already done so. Simply follow the instructions in the email to gain access to the email.

What else can I do to keep my email and computer safe from cybercriminals?

Even if you are careful to send private information through secure channels, keeping your email account secure will add yet another layer of protection against identity theft.

Email providers will typically provide two-factor or multi-factor authentication. That means that when you sign into your account using your user name and password, you will also be prompted to enter a code in order to gain access to your account. That code is typically sent to your mobile device or using a token. This authentication ensures that you are the only one who can access the account – criminals would need to have both your password and the device to which the code is sent.

Additionally, for your own account security, it is your obligation to maintain up-to-date anti-malware internet or network security and up-to-date software on all devices used to access Park Bank Electronic Banking applications. Additionally, you can add a verbal passphrase to any of your Park Bank accounts. Please reach out to any Park Banker to learn more about adding passphrases to your accounts.