Your privacy on the internet depends on your ability to control both the amount of personal banking information you provide and who has access to that information.
Cybercriminals are always searching for ways to steal your information, and your best defence against cyber threats is awareness. Here are a few tips to help you to browse securely:
- Use Strong and Unique Passwords and Keep them Protected
A strong password is one that is easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess. It is a combination of special characters (#, $, %, *, etc.), a mixture of lower and uppercase letters (capital and common letters), and numbers.
- Do Not Save Your Password In Web Browsers
Saving your passwords in your web browser exposes you to cyber criminals who will steal your identity and banking information. One click, and you could be exposed.
- Be wary of Phishing Scams
Phishing scams are techniques used by cyber criminals to trick you into giving them your personal and banking information.
Phishing scams can take many different forms, but they’re often sent as emails, text messages (SMS), WhatsApp messages, tweets (on Twitter), posts (on Facebook, Instagram etc, online ads or telephone calls.
How to protect yourself against Phishing Scams
- Do not click unusual links in emails and text messages
- Do not open suspicious attachments in emails
- Be wary of emails that ask you for your personal or banking details
- Install an Antivirus on your device
This is for all devices, including your mobile devices, such as your smart phones and tablets. Ensure your antivirus is up to date by turning on automatic updates. This will help protect you from phishing scams.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication in your email settings
This is a security protocol that requires two methods to always gain access to your email account. It helps to protect against suspicious log-in attempts and phishing scams.
- Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi
If you must access online banking or mobile banking with public Wi-Fi, stay secure by doing the following:
- Disable public file sharing. Look up how to do this for your device
- Stick with sites that are secure. Look for “https” along with the lock icon in the site’s address, which is also known as the URL. Your laptop or mobile device’s firewall may automatically flag sites that are deemed unsafe
- Consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN creates a private network that only you can access. You can set up a VPN through your mobile device or laptop using a VPN service
