Online Banking
Is banking online safe ?
Millions of people now use the internet for banking and it’s generally safe as long as you follow some safety advice.
The possibility of computer hackers actually stealing credit and debit card data from internet shopping websites is actually quite low due to the security employed by the retailers these days.
Safe steps to take.
You can sign up to Master Card SecureCode or Verified by Visa wherever you are given that option whils shopping online. To do this you contact your card company by telephone or by visiting your bank, they then allow you to set up a password that will then be required when you use your card. This is an added layer of security to help protect you from internet fraud.
Never give out your credit or debit card PIN (personal identification number) over the internet.
Always use secure websites, they will display a closed padlock sign in your browser and the website address will change from starting with HTTP to HTTPS.
The main idea of HTTPS is to create a secure channel over an insecure network.
Protect your card details
Most internet card fraud involves criminals obtaining your credit and debit card details away from the internet. Make sure that you guard your credit and debit card details, shredding credit card statements is certainly a step in the right direction.
Fake emails from your bank
Be very aware of any emails that claim to come from your bank. These emails often ask you to log on to your bank’s website by clicking on a button within the email.
If you log onto this website it will look just like your bank but with one important difference.. It isn’t your bank’s website, it’s a fake and fraudulent website which is trying to get you to update your banking details. Once the fraudsters have your details your bank account can be cleaned out of all of your money very quickly.
As a rule, your bank will not send out emails to you unless it is by prior arrangement.
Use a linux live CD for online banking
One method of online banking that offers a far higher degree of security is to use a linux live CD. Linux is an alternative computer operating system to the normal Microsoft Windows and has a great feature.
With a linux live CD, you can boot your computer directly from the CD without affecting the contents of your computer’s hard drive. The beauty of banking online using this method is that no user names or passwords will be saved on your computer. Once you have finished your online banking you can simply reboot your computer in the normal way and return to windows.
A linux CD is easily created by downloading a version as an image (in ISO format) for free from the internet and burning it onto a CD or DVD with a free program called imageburn. My favourite is called Ubuntu
Computer or laptop disposal
If you are going to dispose of a laptop or computer that has been used for online banking then you should make sure that you erase the contents of your hard drive to prevent criminals, or just a nosey user, who may purchase your old computer from the local recycling centre. Read my hard drive erasure guide
