In today’s ultra-digital world, fraud and identity theft have unfortunately become normal. Although most people are aware of basic safety protocols, remaining safe may not be as simple as it once was. Because of the ever changing technological landscape it is more difficult than ever. Thankfully, there are some additional precautions you can take that, while not immediately obvious, will help you defend your bank accounts better. Here are a few financial safety precautions you may begin doing right now…
Phishing
Scams including phishing via emails, text messages, and phone calls have also increased in recent years. These scams attempt to persuade you to supply personal information, pay money, or click a link that allows viruses or malware to infect your computer or mobile device, giving criminals access.
Keep in mind to do the following: Through email, text, or voice call, your bank will not ask you to validate your account number, PIN, password, or any other personal information. Clicking on suspicious links delivered via text or email should be ignored. If someone phones you and asks for your financial information, hang up your phone and call your bank at the phone number on your debit card or on their website.
Strong and Unique Passwords
Over 2.5 million people use the password “123456.” It’s not just popular, but hackers can figure it out in less than a second. Change it right now if this is your password. For each of your accounts, it is highly suggested that you use strong and unique passwords. Using the same password for all of your accounts puts you at risk since a hacker who gets access to one account gains access to all of them.
Online Shopping
Because online shopping has made life so much easier, it’s easy to overlook the fact that not all methods are safe to use. When making online purchases, it’s a good idea to use only your personal or otherwise trusted computer, and make sure your wireless network is safe.
What you can do in order to make your online shopping experience better is the following. Make it a habit to double-check the website address, ensuring sure it’s not misspelled by a letter or two, as this could indicate a scam or phishing site. Check the security certificate, which should display a lock icon next to the site URL, while you’re at it, and be sure to log out once you’ve completed any transactions.
Card’s Security
There are a few simple ways to make your personal cards more secure. Setting maximum spending restrictions on transactions is one method, which requires authorization for any purchases over that level. Authorizations can be done over the phone or by entering your PIN.
Another wise measure to take is to enable notifications on your phone regarding what purchases have been made with your card and when they were made. This way, if a strange purchase is made, you can handle it immediately and alert your card carrier.
Trusted Financial Institutions
Working with a trusted financial institution is a fantastic way to protect yourself from online fraud. Online, you can find a variety of banking institutions that can assist you with suspicious activities. You’ll be the first to know if something unusual happens, such as a login from a new device or a suspicious transaction. If fraud occurs, you’ll be able to easily file a report.
Don’t Send Personal Information By Email
Don’t respond directly to a financial institution’s request for information by email. If you receive an email like this, it’s almost certainly a fraud because no legitimate bank would ask you to provide sensitive information over the internet. Instead, check the app or online portal to see whether they’ve tried to contact you. If this is not the case, contact customer service to verify any communication.
Unsubscribe From Unwanted Emails
Email providers include tools that allow you to simply unsubscribe when you scroll to the bottom of an email. To find out how to unsubscribe from unwanted emails from your email provider, use any search engine and type in “[your email provider name] + how to unsubscribe from unwanted emails.” This protects you from phishing attacks by stopping you from clicking on unknown URLs. If you get emails from an address to which you have not subscribed, you can flag them as spam or junk mail.