Best practices for protecting your account
Security is a joint effort. As soon as possible after opening your account, we encourage you to:
1. Create a smart, custom password.
- Make sure your password is unique and used only on capitalgroup.com.
- Longer passwords are stronger than shorter, more complex ones. We recommend at least 12 characters, using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that are meaningful only to you.
Tip: An easy way to make a memorable password is to create a sentence or phrase incorporating letters, numbers and symbols. Example: IL0veTac0s:)
- Be wary of unsolicited requests for your personal information online, by email or by phone.
- Don’t share user names, account numbers or passwords.
2. Activate account activity and security notifications and keep your email up to date.
These notifications are automatically activated the first time you log in to your account. They help you monitor your account and respond more quickly to prevent fraud because we alert you immediately by email if changes to your account are initiated online. We notify you again when a change is processed.
Account activity notifications — Alert you to transactions (e.g., withdrawals) or other account changes (e.g., bank information changes).
Security notifications — Alert you to changes to personal information: physical address, email address, statement delivery preference, username or password.
3. Sign up for paperless delivery of important documents.
We will notify you by email as soon as your statements, tax forms and other documents are available through security login. With paperless delivery, you don’t have to worry about shredding papers, and documents will never get lost in the mail.
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Protecting yourself online
Be observant
- Review confirmations and statements promptly, and contact us immediately if you spot unauthorized activity.
- Be cautious about clicking on links, especially in emails. Hover over links to see the underlying Web address. If you’re unsure about a link, you can go to the firm’s website by typing the correct address in your Web browser.
- Sign up for a credit reporting service by contacting Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. If you find unauthorized accounts or charges, take the appropriate steps to make corrections if needed.
Keep your computer secure- Use the latest operating system available for your computers and devices, and respond to software updates promptly.
- Activate security features, such as pop-up blockers.
- Consider installing antivirus software that detects and removes malicious software from your computer.
- Set up a firewall to properly protect your personal computer and home network from malware.
Avoid public computers and Wi-Fi- Only use a known device to access financial and other sensitive personal information online.
- Don’t use public Wi-Fi to access financial records, banking transactions or other sensitive and personal information.
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Protecting your physical documents
- Promptly retrieve and secure incoming postal mail after delivery. Place outgoing mail in a U.S. postal service mailbox instead of your home mailbox to reduce the chance of mail theft. Report all suspected mail theft to a postal inspector.
- Look out for paper confirmations. We mail a confirmation to your address of record following address changes and website password updates. Make sure that you made or authorized the change.
- Protect your Social Security number. Store your card in a safe place, avoid giving the number to others and take measures to keep any other documents containing the number confidential.
- Shred documents. Before discarding, destroy all credit card offers, bank statements, junk mail and any other documents that may contain personal information about you.
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How we protect your account
See what American Funds does to protect your account.
Fraud basics
Review types of online fraud and how to recognize them.
Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value.
Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.
All Capital Group trademarks mentioned are owned by The Capital Group Companies, Inc., an affiliated company or fund. All other company and product names mentioned are the property of their respective companies.
Use of this website is intended for U.S. residents only.
American Funds Distributors, Inc.
This content, developed by Capital Group, home of American Funds, should not be used as a primary basis for investment decisions and is not intended to serve as impartial investment or fiduciary advice.