Learn how Tangerine protects customer information

"Tangerine do not store drivers licence, passport, or other ID documents of our customers. We also do not store any credit card numbers of our customers. All card numbers are stored with the payment provider, and we only retain a reference to each card (token) which cannot be used to conduct fraud."
- Ryan Marks, Tangerine's CTO.

Yes, we like to have fun here at Tangerine, but when it comes to protecting your data, there's no funny business happening on our watch. And in light of recent events (the massive cyber-attack on 22nd September 2022, you can read more about that here), we would like to share how we go about making sure what is yours, stays yours.

Let's get into it...

Tangerine has rigorous data and fraud prevention practices, these are not new, they have been in operation throughout our existence. Tangerine also continually keeps abreast and implements industry-leading security measures to help protect our customers against the risk of identity theft and fraud.

The number one question that we know you want answered is...

What personal information does Tangerine keep?

In case you missed the quote (at the top of this page) from our Chief Tech Officer, Ryan Marks, here it is again -  "Tangerine do not store drivers licence, passport, or other ID documents of our customers. We also do not store any credit card numbers of our customers. All card numbers are stored with the payment provider, and we only retain a reference to each card (token) which cannot be used to conduct fraud."

Here are a couple more questions that you may want answered as well:

What measures do the Tangerine support team take to protect customers from fraudulent behaviour?

When customers make the very good choice to sign up with Tangerine, they all go through an ID verification process - Tangerine utilises a Government-approved identity checking agency - just another measure we take to prevent ID theft.

Tangerine also takes learning & development very seriously. When you reach out to our support team, you will chat with someone who participates in regular training on cyber security awareness and how to identify and report cyber scams. Additionally, our team will take you through Tangerine's account verification process - this is so they can validate your identity and ensure that you (the caller) has sufficient authority to access the account.

What measures can I take to protect myself online?

We are glad you asked! There are many ways you can help protect online yourself, including:

Setting up Multi-factor authentication (MFA).

An MFA will provide you with an extra layer of protection, as it involves using two or more authentication factors to verify your identity. While it may be easy for a criminal to steal one form of information (like a password), it's harder for them to steal two.

Be sceptical of random emails and text messages.

Don't engage with any SMS, email, direct message, or phone call from someone you don't know especially if they ask you to either click on a random or suspicious link, provide personal information &/or download any files. It's best to err on the side of caution & be sceptical.

Regularly change your password.

We understand that this one is annoying, but the fact is, automated attacks rely on people using the same password for many accounts and therefor if you do not change your passwords regularly (and make it one hard to crack), you could be at risk. If you are someone who finds it hard to keep track of passwords (who isn't these days?), you might want to consider subscribing to a password manager.

Avoid using open Wifi connections.

While accessing free Wifi may seem attractive, theres a real risk that cybercriminals may be lurking. Do not take the risk, always access Wifi via a trusted network, a mobile hotspot, or a virtual private network, commonly known as a VPN. A VPN is software that encrypts all connections, which means that a cybercriminal wont know which websites you're visiting and the credentials you're using.

Fianlly you should check out these very handy online resources:

ACSC | Cyber.gov.au and to recognise, avoid and report scams, visit Scamwatch

To learn more about how we help protect you from fraud you can also read the following downloadable pdfs via our policies page:

Verification process & customer awareness for mobile porting and SIM swaps

Customer guidance on scam phone calls and SMS

ID authentication for account changes and fraud awareness