Internet safety precautions

While Qtrade Guided Portfolios® can help ensure the security of your accounts, you play a vital role in preventing and reporting unauthorized account activity. As set out in the Terms of use and this Security policy, you are responsible for maintaining the care, control and confidentiality of your usernames and passwords. To protect against the loss, theft, misuse or compromise of your confidential Qtrade Guided Portfolios® data, you should take the following precautions to help protect your information when using the Internet:

Frequently check your Qtrade Guided Portfolios® accounts

Frequently check your Qtrade Guided Portfolios® account and actively monitor your transaction history, including promptly reviewing correspondence, notices and account statements from Qtrade Guided Portfolios®.

Protect your password

Maintaining the confidentiality of the password you have chosen is key to your internet security. To ensure your confidential information is protected, you should:

  • Choose a unique password that you can remember so that you do not have to write it down. A combination of letters, numbers and symbols generally provides the best protection.
  • Never use a password that is easy for others to guess, such as birthdays, family names or telephone numbers
  • Change your password regularly.
  • Never disclose your password to anyone, especially online. This includes the police, your financial institution, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), your family or friends. Please note, Qtrade Guided Portfolios® will never ask you for your password.

Get up-to-date anti-virus/malware software

Your computer can become infected with viruses, worms, spyware, trojans, and other forms of malware in many ways (for example, from email attachments, content you download from a website or removable media). To help prevent your computer from becoming infected and potentially losing files or having them corrupted, it is it is recommended that you install anti-virus/malware software.

Anti-virus/malware software will detect viruses, worms, spyware, trojans, and other threats and clean your computer so they do not spread. It is crucial that you always use up-to-date anti-virus/malware software, obtained from a reputable vendor, which is capable of scanning files and email messages for viruses. This will help prevent your files from being corrupted or lost. Most anti-virus/malware programs include an auto-update feature that enables the program to download profiles of new signatures, so that it can check for new malware signatures as soon as they are discovered.

Ensure your browser and operating system are always up-to-date

You should always keep current with software updates so that your browser and operating system have the latest security updates to help reduce your computer's exposure. To ensure that you are able to download all of the latest updates, you should always use a legally licensed operating system and browser. Most operating systems and browsers offer the ability to be notified of product updates automatically. It is recommended that you always use this feature.

Take wireless network precautions

The default configuration of some wireless home networks is not secure. Contact your wireless network provider for specific information about encryption and the overall security of your wireless home network.
Taking a few simple precautions when using wireless hotspots can help protect your computer:

  • Install firewalls on all network computers.
  • Never enter or send sensitive information over a public WiFi network or public computer.
  • If you are unsure of a wireless hotspot's security, don't use it for conducting confidential business, such as accessing your work email or financial information.
  • Wireless technologies are continuously changing. Consult your wireless network provider to ensure you have the most up-to-date security technology.

Protect yourself against online fraud

Phishing (pronounced "fishing") is a form of online fraud where the perpetrator sends out authentic-looking emails appearing to come from a legitimate company in an effort to obtain personal and financial information from the recipient. If you receive what you believe to be a phishing email, delete it immediately and do not respond or act on it. 
Please note:

  • Qtrade Guided Portfolios® will never mail, call or send you an email asking for your password, account number or personal information.
  • Never provide personal or financial information to anyone in an email.
  • Never enter personal information unless you are sure the website is legitimate. You should also be certain the site is encrypted. Look for the letter "s" after "http" at the beginning of the URL address (for example, "www.guidedportfolios.qtrade.ca"). This ensures that the site is running in secure mode.
  • Be suspicious of email attachments from unknown sources. If you do not know or recognize the sender of the email, do not open the attachment.
  • Do not set your email program to "auto-run" attachments. Always check that emails you have received do not contain viruses by running your anti-virus/malware software when the email attachment is received.
  • Frequently check your Qtrade Guided Portfolios® account and actively monitor your transaction history, including promptly reviewing correspondence, notices and account statements from Qtrade Guided Portfolios®.