This Privacy and
Security Statement relates solely to the online information collection and use
practices of the NYPPEX web site located at www.nyppex.com (this "Web
Site"), and not to any sub-domains of this Web Site. We recognize that many
visitors and users of this Web Site are concerned about the information they
provide to us, and how we treat that information. This Privacy and Security
Statement, which may be updated from time to time, has been developed to
address those concerns.
Your use of this Web Site indicates to us that
you have read and accept our privacy practices, as outlined in this Privacy and
Security Statement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this
Privacy and Security Statement, please contact:
inquiries@nyppex.com.
Information That We Collect About You.
When you visit our Web Site, you may provide us with two types of information:
(1) personally identifiable information that you knowingly choose to disclose,
which is collected on an individual basis, and (2) general user information
that does not contain personally identifiable information, which is collected
on an aggregate basis as you browse the Web Site. In some cases, if you choose
not to provide us with requested information, you may not be able to
access
all of our Web Site's content or services.
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Personally Identifiable Information.
We may ask for certain personal information from you for the purpose of
providing to you content and/or services that you request. For example, if you
indicate an interest in receiving press releases about NYPPEX, you are asked to
submit your name and e-mail address, which we retain on file, so that we may
send you the information that you requested. If you indicate on our E-mail
Alert registration form that you are a member of the press, we may also send
you information regarding our business. We also request your name and e-mail
address each time you contact us by clicking on the "Contact Us" link. We may
retain a record of users who have contacted us in order to respond properly to
questions or concerns and for purposes of future communications.
Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
Cookies/ Web server logs: Similar to other commercial Web sites, our Web Site
utilizes standard technology called "cookies" and Web server logs to collect
information about how our Web Site is used. Cookies are a feature of Web
browser software that allows Web servers to recognize the computer used to
access
a Web site. Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's Web
browser on the user's hard drive. Information gathered through cookies and Web
server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time
spent at our Web Site, and the Web sites visited just before and just after our
Web Site. This information is collected on an aggregate basis. None of this
information is associated with you as an individual.
You can, of course, disable cookies on your computer by indicating this in the
preferences or options menus in your browser. However, it is possible that some
parts of our Web Site will not operate correctly if you disable cookies. You
should consult with your browser's provider/manufacturer if you have any
questions regarding disabling cookies.
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How Do We Use The Information We Collect?
We use your personally identifiable information to provide you with the
information or content that you have requested, and, in some cases, to contact
you about our programs, products, features or services. If you no longer wish
to receive press releases or any other type of information from us, you may
send us an email through our "Contact Us" link or use our E-mail Alert form to
change your preferences.
We use non-identifying information collected on our Web Site in the aggregate
to better understand your use of the Web Site and to enhance your enjoyment and
experience. For example, we may use the information to improve the design and
content of our Web Site or to analyze the programs and services that we offer.
We may employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our
behalf. Our employees, agents and contractors who have
access
to personally identifiable information are required to protect the information
in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy and Security Statement.
We may provide
access
to your personally identifiable information when legally required to do so, to
cooperate with police investigations or other legal proceedings, to protect
against misuse or unauthorized use of our Web Site, to limit our legal
liability and protect our rights, or to protect the rights and safety of
visitors to this Web Site or the public. In those instances, the information is
provided only for that limited purpose.
We will not share your personally identifiable information in ways unrelated to
those described above without providing you with an opportunity to opt out of
such use or otherwise prohibit such unrelated uses.
How Do You
Access
and/or Modify Your Information or
Choices?
If you visit our Web Site and volunteer personally identifiable information,
you may modify, update or delete such information at any time by visiting the
E-mail Alert area where you will have the opportunity to
access
and revise certain of your personally identifiable information, and to update
your preferences regarding what information you want to receive from us, or by
clicking on the "Contact Us" link and sending us an e-mail. You should be
aware, however, that it is not always possible to completely remove or modify
information in our databases. In addition, please be aware that your ability to
opt out from receiving marketing and promotional materials does not change our
right to contact you regarding your use of our Web Site.
Privacy Protections For Children Using the Internet
Protecting children's privacy is important to us. For that reason, we do not
collect or maintain information on our Web Site from those we actually know are
under the age of 13, nor is any part of our Web Site targeted to attract anyone
under 13. We request that all visitors to our Web Site who are under 13 not
disclose or provide any personally identifiable information. If we discover
that a child under 13 has provided us with personally identifiable information,
we will delete that child's personally identifiable information from our
records.
Data
Security
We take reasonable steps to maintain the security of the personally
identifiable information that we collect, including limiting the number of
people who have physical
access
to our database servers, as well as installing electronic security systems that
guard against unauthorized
access. However, no data transmission
over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, we
cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information that you transmit to
us, so you do so at your own risk.
Consent to Transfer
This Web Site is operated in the United States. If you are located outside of
the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us will
be transferred to the United States. By using our Web Site, participating in
any of our services and/or providing us with your information, you consent to
this transfer.
Links
This Web Site contains links to third party sites as well as to other sites
owned and/or operated by NYPPEX. Please be aware that NYPPEX is not responsible
for the privacy practices of any third party sites. Please also be aware that
the privacy policies of other NYPPEX sites may differ significantly from the
privacy policy of this Web Site. Therefore, we encourage our users to read the
privacy and security statement of each and every Web site that collects
personally identifiable information. This Privacy and Security Statement
applies solely to information collected by this Web Site.
Safeguarding Your Information
We take precautions to ensure the information we collect about you is protected
and is accessed only by authorized individuals or organizations.
Companies we use to provide support services are not allowed to use information
about our clients for their own purposes and are contractually obligated to
maintain strict confidentiality. We limit their use of information to the
performance of the specific services we have requested.
We restrict access to personal information by our employees and agents. Our
employees are trained about privacy and are required to safeguard personal
information.
We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect personal
information.
Teaming Up Against Identity Theft
Identity theft is a serious
concern to all of us. Safeguarding information to help protect you from
identity theft is our priority. NYPPEX takes steps to protect you from identity
theft by:
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utilizing client identification and authentication procedures before initiating
transactions;
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creating a secure transmission connection to our NYPPEX Websites. You will see
the padlock in the lower right corner of your browser's frame indicating it is
a secure site;
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ensuring our employees are trained to safeguard personal information about you.
You can also help protect your identity and accounts. Here are a
few steps to remember:
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NYPPEX will never request your account number, login password, or Social
Security number in either a non-secure or unsolicited email communication;
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shred documents that contain personal information;
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check your credit report regularly for unauthorized activity and protect your
personal identification numbers (PINs) or personal data.
If you have been a victim of identity theft or to
learn more about protecting yourself against identity theft, go to the
Identity Theft Prevention Program.
Authentication is the process that our clients go through to access secure
areas of our Website. This process takes place when you log into your account.
The two key components of login are your Login ID and Password.
Login ID: We urge you to create your own unique Login ID and recommend that it
be a Login ID that you don’t commonly use for other purposes. We particularly
urge you not to use your Social Security or number date of birth as a Login ID.
Please call NYPPEX at 203-422-5000 x200 and a representative
will assist you in creating a new Login ID.
Passwords: We maintain strict rules to help prevent others from guessing your
password, and recommend that you change your password periodically. Your
password must meet the following criteria:
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6-8 characters long
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Include both letters and numbers
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Include at least one number between the first and last character
In addition, for your protection, repeated
unsuccessful attempts to log in will cause your online access to be
disabled. Once this happens your password must be reset. If this happens to you
inadvertently, please follow the instructions under “Forgot your password” on
the Login page
Email Security
Recently there has been rapid growth in email-related information security
challenges such as “phishing” or “spoofing” schemes. These fraudulent
techniques attempt to fool you into giving up your personal data by
impersonating legitimate communications from financial service providers. We
are working with other financial institutions and technology leaders to prevent
these security challenges from impacting our clients. Measures currently in
place or underway include:
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Implementation of domain-verification technologies that, in cooperation with
Internet service providers, will enable clients to verify that emails claiming
to have come from NYPPEX actually did come from NYPPEX.
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Standardization of NYPPEX emails and adherence to industry anti-phishing best
practices. We continually re-design our email policies to incorporate the
latest tools and standards aimed at preventing phishing.
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Ongoing assessment and implementation of new login technologies designed to
prevent others from masquerading as our Web site.
Steps you should take for protecting your
emails:
Client Security Practices
Your participation is an important component of all of our security
efforts. We believe it is essential that we work in close cooperation with you
as our client to maintain the highest levels of security. These are the steps
you should take to protect your account:
Protecting the security of your computer
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Keep your computer and browser software current with security updates.
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Install and update anti-virus and anti-spyware software and use personal
firewalls to protect your computer.
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Be alert to the threats posed by malware--short for malicious software, this
form of software is designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, or to
secretly record information such as keystrokes. Malware types include key
logging tools, trojan horses, hijacking programs, and dialer programs that may
reside on your personal computer. While these threats constantly evolve, you
can help protect your personal information and computer by using a personal
firewall, maintaining up-to-date anti-spyware and anti-virus programs, and by
immediately reporting any suspicious activity involving your personal
information.
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Do not enable any application features that would automatically log you in to
your NYPPEX account or pre-fill the Login ID or Password fields.
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Change your password periodically and avoid using passwords for NYPPEX that you
commonly use for other purposes.
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For more information on how to protect your personal computer, including
links to vendors providing anti-virus and anti-spyware software, please visit
the Federal Trade Commission’s computer security site at
http://onguardonline.gov. Microsoft Corporation provides additional
information specific to the Windows operating system at
http://www.microsoft.com/security. Users of Apple computers can find
security information at
http://www.apple.com/support/security.
Using your computer
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Your username and password are for your use only. Do not share them with
anyone.
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Check to make sure you are interacting with a secure Web site see
above.
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Always log off after accessing your NYPPEX account. This prevents someone else
from accessing your account if you leave your computer unattended while the
session has not yet “timed out,” or automatically shut down.
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Be careful about using third-party computers or
computers that you are not familiar with, such as those in Internet cafés.
If you do use a third-party computer, be
particularly careful to ensure you have fully logged out. NYPPEX’s systems are
set to prevent browsers from saving account information in a computer’s
Internet cache, but as an extra precaution you may want to clear the cache of
any public computer on which you have accessed your NYPPEX accounts. Please
check the browser’s help section to learn how to manually clear its
Internet cache.
Reading your statements:
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Review your account statements carefully.
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Reduce the risk of lost and stolen paper statements by subscribing to online
account statements and confirmations. You can sign up for paperless products
quickly and easily by emailing inquiries@nyppex.com.
Recognizing and fighting fraud
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Do not provide personal or financial information in response to an email
request or by clicking on a link, unless you are able to verify the
authenticity of the site to which you are taken through the SSL padlock or
other means.
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Do not enter personal information into a form within an email message or a
pop-up.
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Note that NYPPEX will never ask you to provide personal financial information in
an email.
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Do not open an email from a sender that your do not recognize. Be particularly
cautious of any attachments to emails from unrecognized sources.
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Immediately report any unusual activity regarding your NYPPEX accounts to our
representatives at 203-422-5000 x200 or at inquiries@nyppex.com.
How To Spot a Phishing Attack
There are many phishing attacks active on the Internet. Here are a few of their
lines and lures:
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An email contains an “urgent” or “shocking” tone requesting your immediate
action on an account-related matter. Phishers frequently succeed by getting
consumers to act quickly without thinking.
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An email is sent from a user falsely claiming to be a legitimate company with
an attachment. An unsolicited email attachment more than likely contains a
virus. Do not open it.
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A pop-up window appears from a user falsely claiming to be a legitimate
company’s Web site asking for personal information.
Learn More About Phishing Scams or Identity Theft
Additional information can be found at
www.antiphishing.org or www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ .
How To Report a Phishing Attack
If you suspect you have received a fraudulent email from NYPPEX or any of its
subsidiary companies, please contact: inquiries@nyppex.com
If you believe that any communications with or from NYPPEX resulted in identity
theft, call us immediately at 203-422-5000 x200.
What To Do If You Are A Victim of Identity Theft
If you are a victim of identity theft, here are some recommended steps:
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Contact NYPPEX and let us know you have been a victim of identity theft
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Contact the fraud departments of each of the 3 major credit bureaus:
| Report Fraud |
800-525-6285 |
888-397-3742 |
800-680-7289 |
| Order Credit Report |
800-525-6285 |
888-397-3742 |
800-916-8800 |
| Web address |
www.equifax.com
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www.experian.com
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www.transunion.com
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| Address |
PO Box 740241
Atlanta, GA
30374-0241
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PO Box 9530
Allen, TX
75013 |
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA
92634-6790 |
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Report the identity theft and request a "fraud alert."
This ensures that you will be contacted before any new account is opened and/or
an existing account is changed.
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Request copies of credit reports. Review the reports carefully and
identify any new accounts that may have been opened. Pay particular attention
to the section of the report that lists "inquiries" from new companies. Contact
these companies immediately and have them remove any pending or new accounts
from their system. Note: Credit bureaus must provide free copies of credit
reports to victims of identity theft. Contact the fraud departments of creditors
to dispute unauthorized charges (e.g., credit card issuer, phone
companies, utilities, banks, other lenders.) Describe your identity theft
problem and follow up with a letter.
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Contact the fraud departments of creditors to dispute unauthorized charges
(e.g., credit card issuer, phone companies, utilities, banks, other lenders.)
Describe your identity theft problem and follow up with a letter.
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File a report with your local police department and ask to file a report.
This may help when clearing your credit.
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File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC
handles complaints from victims of identity theft, provides information to
those victims, and refers complaints to appropriate entities, including the
major credit-reporting agencies and law enforcement agencies.
By Phone: 877-ID THEFT
Online Complaint Form: www.consumer.govidtheft
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