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Lockdown guide · about 10 minutes

Lock down your bank login

By The Latchkey Daily Team, EditorsPublished Updated Verified January 20, 2027

What's at risk: Online banking is the account scammers are actually after; everything else is a route to it.

Verified against Varies by bank, January 2027.

You'll need: a password manager, your debit or credit card for the real phone number.

One account a day

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Step by step

  1. Change the password. Log in to the bank's website or app, go to Profile or Security settings, and set a long unique password saved in your password manager.
  2. Turn on the strongest two-factor the bank offers. In Security settings, look for two-factor, multi-factor or "extra security." Choose the bank's own app notification or an authenticator app if offered; text codes if that is all they have. Passkeys are arriving at most major banks; turn one on if you see the option.
  3. Turn on alerts. In Alerts or Notifications, turn on a text or push for every transaction above a small amount, every login from a new device, and every change to contact details. These are how you catch fraud in minutes instead of weeks.
  4. Add a phone-banking password. Call the bank (number on the back of your card) and ask to add a verbal password or PIN for phone banking. It stops someone with your personal details from calling in as you.
  5. Save the real number. Put the bank's phone number from the back of your card into Contacts as "Bank, real number." When a "fraud department" calls, you hang up and call this.
  6. Review linked accounts and payees. In Transfers or Zelle settings, look at linked external accounts and saved payees. Remove anything you do not recognize.
  7. Check contact details. Confirm the email and phone on the account are yours. A changed email is how scammers hide the confirmations.

Every bank’s settings look different, so this guide is organized by what to do rather than where to tap. The four most common banks (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citi) all have each setting above; it may be called “security,” “profile” or “alerts.” If you cannot find one, call the real number and ask them to walk you through it.

Do this for a parent

  1. Turn on transaction alerts to your phone as well as theirs, if the bank allows a second contact, or set up view-only access through the bank's trusted-contact program.
  2. Save the real number in their Contacts and show them the rule: never call a number from a text, always the one on the card.
  3. Ask the bank about a trusted contact or power of attorney on file, so you can act if needed.

The whole set, in one afternoon: the Family Setup Kit.

If you get locked out

  1. Call the number on the back of the card, say "fraud," and ask them to lock online access and review activity.
  2. Change the email password too; the bank login reset goes there.

Questions people ask

My bank only offers text-message codes. Is that safe?
It is much better than no second factor. Protect it by adding a PIN and port-out lock at your carrier so your number cannot be moved to a scammer's phone.
Should I use Zelle at all?
Zelle is fine for paying people you know. Treat it like cash; never send it to a stranger, a "fraud department" or yourself at a number someone gives you.

Related

  • Guide

    Lock down your Gmail account

    Your email is the master key. Anyone inside it can reset the password on your bank, your Amazon and everything else.

  • Guide

    Lock down your iPhone

    Your phone is your bank, your email, your photos and your two-factor codes. A stolen passcode is a stolen life.

  • Guide

    Lock down your Android phone

    Your phone holds your bank, your email and your two-factor codes. A weak screen lock or a sideloaded app hands all of it over.

  • The scam this stops

    The bank fraud department scam

    The bank fraud department scam is a call or text that appears to come from your bank's fraud team, warning of a suspicious charge and then walking you through "securing" your money by reading them a code, moving funds to a "safe account," or sending yourself a Zelle payment that actually goes to the scammer.

  • The scam this stops

    The tech support scam

    The tech support scam is a pop-up, call or email claiming your computer is infected or a subscription is about to renew, which leads to a "technician" taking remote control of your computer and either charging for fake repairs or using the access to get into your bank.