Bank security
Shopping online
What is the difference between http and https?
https – a secure website which is encrypted.
http – an unsecure website.
So when you are shopping online look out for the padlock. It will usually be in the URL.
If the address bar is green then you know that this website is using the latest version of your browser.
How to avoid financial scams?
- Never respond to emails from your banks which are asking you for banking details.
- Never use public Wi-Fi when banking as anyone can access this and a online transaction may be intercepted.
- Always check for https as this indicates a secure, encrypted website.
- Make sure you visit your bank’s correct website. Don’t click on a link to your bank’s website as the websites it is taking you to make be fake. Always visit the website directly.
- Always use strong passwords and make sure that your password hasn’t been used for anything else.
- Never give anyone your passwords.
- Check your account to see that all of the transactions made were made by you. If not contact your bank directly.
- Always update your computers software to ensure it has the latest security updates installed.
- Use anti-virus software for all devices and ensure you keep the software up-to-date.
- Help yourself by understanding what types of scams there are.
- Make sure all your important documents are stored somewhere else too – preferably off your network such as a hard copy of a document.
- Do not open files especially from people you don’t know. Also, don’t open attachments/links if you weren’t aware they were going to be sent to you even if they are from people you know.
- Never share any information via email, phone or text that could be used wrongly by someone.
- Check to see if your bank is secure too and if it uses two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is where two passwords are required before you can enter an account.
What scams do I need to look out for?
Firstly what is a scam?
A scam is fraudulent practice where you might be sent something to try and trick you into giving personal information away.
What are the different types of scams?
Phishing – usually fraudulent emails are sent to you asking you for money or personal information.
Spear phishing – criminals send fraudulent emails to you. These emails are from people who have found out about you to make the email convincing.
Be careful what you put online, as they may use this information to trick you such as email address, name, phone number.
If you sent an email and you don’t know who it is from, look out for obvious spelling and grammar mistakes – this may seem stupid but if this email is supposed to be from an organisation or individual, then this email will most likely have been read through at least once.
Vishing – fraudulent phone calls from those wanting to gain your personal details. People often pretend to be companies you have accounts with.
Ransomware – cybercriminals are able to encrypt your data and only if you give money to them, will they unlock your computer and possibly give you back your data. Ransomware is a growing problem today and it is important that links aren’t clicked in emails if you don’t know who the email was from.
How to report financial scams?
1) Go and visit your bank.
2) Contact your bank online.
3) Contact your bank via telephone.
It is important when banking online that you apply all the security rules for instance as a minimum use strong passwords so your bank account can’t be easily hacked by cybercriminals. Never give away your personal details as you could be at risk of identify theft. Also make sure you have installed antivirus software onto your computer and that you regularly update the software.