Online Banking Safety Tips
Online banking is nice and convenient. But it does come with certain risks. Follow these tips and you can minimize the risks to your finances and bank safely online.
Use strong passwords: The password acts as a key to your web banking account. Do not share your password and make your password as impersonal as possible. Don’t use:
- Your date of birth, your name, telephone number or address;etc.
- A password you use for any other service
- Your bank account number or bank card number
- Do not share your personal verification question answers with anyone, and do not disclose them in emails
Secure your computer and keep it up-to-date: Security is essential these days, regardless of what you use your computer for. At a minimum, make sure you have a firewall turned on and are running antivirus software. This will ensure you are protected from Trojans, key loggers and other forms of malware that could be used to gain access to your financial data.
Avoid clicking through emails: No financial institution will send you an email asking you to provide any of your login details or any personal identifying information. It is safer to access your online bank account by typing the address into your browser directly.
Also, be aware of unsolicited phone calls that claim to be from your bank. While your bank may require you to answer a security question, they will never ask for passwords or PINS (They may ask for certain letters or numbers from them, but never the whole thing).
If in doubt, hang up and then call your bank back via a telephone number that you have confirmed as being valid.
Safe computing practices when conducting your online banking: Never leave your computer unattended once you have signed in to online banking. After completing your transactions, ensure that you sign out of online banking, close your browser. Do not share, disclose or provide your bank card number or password to another party or website other than your bank.
Monitor your accounts regularly: As a good practice, monitor your bank statement each month for any unauthorized transactions. But why wait a whole month to discover a discrepancy? With online banking you have access 24/7, so take advantage of that and check your account on a regular basis. Look at each transaction since you last logged in and if you spot any unusual transactions, contact your bank immediately.
