Security center
The topics below provide important guidance on how to protect your personal information, as well as security safeguards in place. Please read this material carefully.
These tips can help protect your account when using a shared or public computer.
- Don't check the "remember my ID on this computer" option for any website.
- Always sign out of any logged on session when finished.
- Watch for onlookers or "shoulder surfers" who may be watching as you type passwords.
- Clear browsing data to ensure others cannot view your browsing history (See your web browser Help Guide for details on how to clear cache).
- Never enter personal information on websites that you do not trust nor provide personal information to people that you do not know in person, via email or over the phone unless you initiated the contact and are sure of with whom you are dealing. Fraudsters will often pose as representatives of your bank, credit card company or other service providers you deal with. Email scams will often create a sense of urgency for you to respond or advise that you will lose access if you do not provide your information. We will never contact you unsolicited to request your personal information.
- If you believe you have given out information to a suspicious party, don't hesitate to contact us so we can work with you to protect your account.
- Review statements and credit reports frequently to identify suspicious activity.
- All access to the website is encrypted to protect your information from snooping.
- Industry-leading security systems are in place to monitor and alert us to possible suspicious events.
- VALIC complies with all regulations related to data security.
- User names and strong passwords are required to login to VALIC.com. Session timeout occurs after a period of inactivity.
- VALIC uses anti-virus and anti-malware software to protect data and continuously updates such software.
- VALIC maintains and monitors secure firewalls.
- Communication from VALIC containing sensitive information is secure.
- Customers are required to complete a security profile in order to update their communication preferences. A customer must accurately answer such security questions before making updates to preferences.
- Keep your information on the internet private. Don't post private information on social media sites.
- Don’t respond to chain emails, unsolicited emails or emails from unknown people. Don’t link to websites within emails as they may be decoy sites with a goal of capturing your personal information.
- If you believe your identity has been compromised, contact us, the Federal Trade Commission, and your other financial institutions.
- If you believe your email account has been hacked, notify us and your other financial institutions to protect your accounts.
- Keep antivirus and other installed software current with the latest security updates.
- Be careful when opening email attachments. Scan them with antivirus software before opening if possible.
- Don't install unfamiliar programs. Only obtain software from trusted sources.
- Don't click on pop-ups to close them. Instead press Ctrl+W (for Windows operating systems) to safely close them out.
- Call a professional if you think your computer is infected.
- Assume any information sent can be read. Always use encrypted websites for communication on public networks.
- Look for “https://” versus "http://" in the URL. The “s” indicates that the connection is secure.
- Refrain from entering personal information or discussing personal matters on public internet access such as those found in coffee shops, airports and hotels; others may be able to view your comments and information.
- If you must use a public network, when possible use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to help ensure privacy of your information.
- Be wary of email or instant messages asking you to sign in or enter private information into a website.
- If unsure about the legitimacy of a trusted site, you should manually type a known trusted URL into the address bar of the browser.
- If unsure of the authenticity of a website, provide a fake password. If it appears you are authenticated afterwards then you are likely on a phishing website.
- Look for incorrectly spelled words or other clues that the site or email may not be legitimate.
- Download apps from trusted locations such as Apple or Google application stores.
- Treat smartphones and tablets with the same level of security as you would with a personal computer.
- Use security tools such as antivirus and firewall software when possible, and keep them up to date to help protect your mobile devices.
- Use the lock function on your mobile device.
- Change your passwords often and use a strong password (combination of both uppercase (A-Z) and lowercase (a-z) letters, numbers (0-9), and/or special characters. (@ . _). Do not use the same password across multiple sites or devices.
- Never share your login credentials or passwords.
If you have a security concern regarding one of your accounts please contact us. A representative will assist you in addressing your concerns and working toward resolution of the issue. Please go to the contact us page for all available contact options.
We invite and encourage you to communicate with us. Please understand that assistance using a very public channel such as Facebook can only go so far. We cannot respond to comments or concerns directly. If you have questions or need customer service, please call our Contact Center at 800-448-2542 and one of our customer service representatives will be glad to help you. All commentary and posts are monitored during normal business hours. Any disruptive, inappropriate, offensive or off topic posts may be removed at the sole discretion of VALIC.
VALIC reserves the right to remove and permanently ban abusers of the House Rules.
Comments posted by fans do not represent the opinions of VALIC.