CFDs Helpdesk

Account Protection

CMC Markets Canada is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).

The fund protects customers in the event of insolvency of a member. The fund covers customer's up to C$1,000,000 for losses related to securities and cash balances. It does not cover customers' losses that result from changing market values.

An explanatory brochure describing the nature of coverage and limitations is available here or contact us for a printed copy.

Account Security

CMC Markets is committed to protecting the security of your personal and financial information. We maintain safeguards to protect your information including:

• Limiting access to relevant information by authorized employees only
• Using passwords, User IDs and Usernames to limit access and identify our clients
• Using Firewalls and encryption of electronically transmitted information.

You play a vital role in the protection of your own information and account please bear in mind the following to help keep your account information secure:

• CMC Markets will not send you unsolicited emails asking for your account access information, or ask you to reveal personal information about yourself or your CMC Markets account. You should not disclose your password to anyone including CMC Markets employees.
• You should notify us immediately if you change any of your contact details to ensure your account information is kept up-to-date and you are receiving updates as well as your statements.
• You should receive statements via email on the day following any activity on your account, if you do not receive a statement please inform us as soon as possible.
• You should monitor your account frequently including all transactions on the account and inform us as soon as possible if you disagree with any transactions.

Safe Computing Practices

Here are some important steps you can take to ensure you follow safe computing practices that will help protect your information and computer systems:

1. Choose a strong password and protect it
2. Use anti-virus software
3. Protect your Computer Systems
4. Use your own Computer
5. Safe Internet Browsing
6. Protect yourself against malicious Emails
7. Monitor your accounts

1. Choose a strong password and protect it

Choose a strong password

A strong password is one that is difficult for others to determine by themselves or by using automated programs. Strong passwords should contain letters, numbers and symbols. Longer passwords are generally stronger; a password of seven to sixteen characters is advisable.

One way to pick a strong password that is easy to memorize is to use the first letter of a memorable phrase or song and insert some characters or numbers. For example:

The phrase: "Everyone Has His Day and Some Days Last Longer Than Others"

Could help memorize a password of: EHHD!aSDLLTO*1

Never share your password with anyone

Memorize your password and do not write it down anywhere or divulge it to anyone.

Change your password regularly and use a unique password

Change default passwords the first time you log in. Then change your password regularly and never choose a password that is similar or the same as the default password. Do not use a previously used password.

2. Use anti-virus software

Running the latest version of a well established anti-virus software program on your computer is vital to help protect your personal information. Anti-virus software will not only help protect you from Viruses, but also Worms and Trojan Horses (see below for information on these programs). Many anti-virus software packages update to protect you against the latest known threats; however you should regularly check your software is up to date.

What is a virus?
A computer virus is a program that is designed to spread from one computer to another. A virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer, use your email program to spread, or even erase data on your hard disk. Viruses are most easily spread by attachments in e-mails or instant messaging messages. That is why it is essential that you never open e-mail attachments unless you know who it is from, you trust the sender and you are expecting it.

What is a worm?
A worm is similar to a virus and is considered a sub-class of a virus. Worms can spread like a virus, but unlike a virus it has the capability to spread unaided.

What is a Trojan Horse?
Trojan Horses are destructive programs that can capture and send information on your system, or can allow others to gain control of your computer remotely, without your permission or knowledge. They can also cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Unlike worms and viruses, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

3. Protect your Computer Systems

Lock it
Always lock your desktop whenever you step away from the computer.

Use a personal firewall package
Install and maintain up-to-date firewalls. Firewalls works together with the anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to screen out hackers, viruses and worms that may try to reach your computer over the internet.

If you have more than one computer, install a firewall in each one to help protect the spread of virus in case one of the computers becomes infected. This is especially important if you have a network set up.

Do not file share
Disable file sharing. File sharing allows other computers to access your computer.

Ensure your software is up to date
Update your software and operating systems regularly to help ensure online security and reliability of your computer. Newer versions are usually better designed to protect you against malicious activity on and off-line.

Protect any wireless connections
If you have a wireless network, you should look into taking additional security measures to protect your internet connection.

Be prepared for problems by backing up data
Back up data regularly so that it can be recovered if your computer is compromised and ensure you have he ability to reinstall your operating system software.

4. Use your own Computer

Using someone else’s computer particularly in a public place can make your password more susceptible to being stolen. Use your own computer and avoid using anyone else’s when logging on to any programs or Web sites that require personal information or passwords.

For increased security, wherever possible do not use the ‘save password’, ‘remember me’ or any option to save your personal information especially on a computer that other people may have access to. If your password or any sign in information does automatically appears on a sign-in page, you may want to disable it.

5. Safe Internet Browsing

Do not enter sensitive information on non-trusted sites. Make sure electronic forms submitted online are securely encrypted. If unsure, check that the website has an “https” at the beginning of the website address. The “s” is used to indicate a secure connection. If unsure of any website link or pop-ups, always open a new browser and type in the company’s website address yourself to help confirm legitimacy.

Do not download files from unknown parties, and be aware of online threats and carefully read all terms and conditions of any software you download, pop-ups and any free service you accept online. This will help to avoid having your internet use monitored by other parties without your knowledge.

To maintain your privacy, always clear your history or empty your cache file on a regular basis, or set up your computer to automatically empty it when you close the browser. This will help prevent others from viewing any sensitive information later.

Always log-off each time you finish browsing.

6. Protect yourself against malicious Emails

Familiarize yourself with online scams, known as “Phishing” scams. Ensuring your internet browser is updated to the latest version can help protect against phishing, some of the latest versions include phishing filters

What is Phishing?
Phishing (also known as brand spoofing) is a scam where the perpetrator sends out emails designed to look as though they have come from a legitimate company usually linking to a well known and trustworthy Web site. The Web site is actually false and the recipient is then asked to disclose personal information which they will record and may use without your permission.

Clues to help spot online phishing scams:

• Requests for account information from false companies or financial institutions. They attempt to lure you to a phishing site and when you enter your personal information, they record it.
• Emails that promise that you have won a sweepstake or lottery could well be a phishing scam
• False promises of large sums of money that can lead to requests for you to pay money upfront
• Misspelling of web addresses could signify a phishing scam
• 'Pharming' is a new scam which redirects you to an illegitimate web site without your knowledge. A ‘Pharmer’ may take advantage of a virus on your computer to misdirect from a legitimate account to a false site that usually has a misspelled web site address

How to help avoid phishing scams:

• Approach links in e-mails with caution they may take you to fraudulent web sites. If you are unsure type addresses directly into your internet browser.
• Don’t trust the ‘from’ information, it could be spoofed so that it look like it comes from someone you trust.
• Do not enter personal or financial information into pop-up windows from links contained in emails
7. Monitor your accounts

Monitor all activity and statements of accounts you hold, and report any suspicious activity immediately. If any of your personal information is lost, stolen or compromised this should also be reported immediately so that appropriate action can be taken.