precautions while using internet banking

If you discover you did submit private detail to these con artists, inform your web bank immediately: Make sure you give your bank your current contact information so that they can get in touch with you with any questions or any other mattersthat require your attention.

Encryptionis the process of scrambling private information to prevent unauthorized access. To remind you that your transmission is encrypted, most Internet browsers display a small icon on your screen that looks like a lock or a key, when you conduct secure transactions online. Avoid sending sensitive information, such as account numbers, through unsecured e mail.

General securityover your personal computer such as virus protection and physical access controls should be used and updated regularly. Contact your hardware and software suppliers, or Internet service provider, toensure you have the latest in security updates.

Never leave your computer unattended once you have signed in to online banking. Mobile banking is used in many parts of the world with little or no infrastructure, especially remote and rural areas. This aspect of mobile commerce is also popular in countries where most of their population is unbanked. In most of these places, banks can only be found in big cities, and customers have to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest bank.

Keep your password and card number safe. This seems like a no brainer, but surprisingly many users do forget this critical step in the process. Security of a customers financial information is very important, without which online banking could not operate. Financial institutions have set up various security processes to reduce the risk of unauthorized online access to a customers records, but there is no consistency to the various approaches adopted.

Do not share, disclose, or provide your bank card number, or password, to another party or website other than your bank. Most banks will not send you an email requesting this information. If your bank practices this very unsafe routine; you should change banks.

Choosing password or 1234 is like putting a luggage lock on the front door of your house. Also, people will be able to guess it and hack. Instead, come up with a longer password that contains both letters and numbers/characters.

If you do not want to receive junk mail or get put on a telemarketer list, look for a small box near the bottom of the page that asks if you want to receive information and offers from other companies. The best sites will have a statement listed that they will not sell your name to other companies (though they may still spam you themselves). Some sites require you to give all your information to get the product. Only fill in required fields that are marked with an *. If the info box does not have an asterisk, it is optional and you can leave it blank.

This especially important in chatrooms or when negotiating jobs or deals through meet up sites. Beware of stock letters (i.e. very general response letters that don t actually address any of the points you ve made), anyone who wants to negotiate a wire transfer, or anyone who wants to work out a business arrangement while they re

Beware of spoof email claiming to be from eBay, PayPal, or a bank or a company you trust asking for personal or sensitive information. This is called phishing. The e mail may inform you that there is a problem with your account/password. There may be a link to click inside. Forward any of these e mails to the company it claims to be sent from. They will confirm whether the e mail you received was real or not. Also, bear in mind that e mail programs like Yahoo!, MSN, Hotmail and Gmail will never ask you for your e mail password. Dont fall for it. Read How to Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams for more information.