How secure are your online banking transactions? Have you experienced someone attempting to access your accounts? It's terrifying, right? Especially if such transactions are from major accounts. That's why secure online banking is a must to keep away from those suspicious transactions.
Today, I'll be sharing 5 helpful tips for secure online banking that will help you avoid being a victim of the unauthorized transaction. These tips will boost you to be more vigilant from hackers and phishing links. Let's dive in!
Tip #1: Use Different Emails for Each Online Access
With the same emails you have for online banking, social media, and any other websites, you will possibly be a victim of unauthorized online transactions. Use different ones to avoid such mistakes.
Your email is an important piece of detail that identifies your login process. It is a solid first step for hackers to hack your account especially if that email is publicly shown in your social media accounts. And the worst scenario is that it could be possibly connected to your bank account. Most of our bank accounts are connected to our emails, right? So, it is better to have a separate email to use for social media and our bank accounts or any online access you have.
Tip #2: Keep On Track with All Your Accounts
It's important to keep track of all your accounts for both financial and security purposes. There are a few key ways to do this.
One way to keep track of all your accounts is to have a dedicated notebook or file where you write down all the login information. You can also use a password manager to store all your login information.
Another way to keep track of your accounts is to set up alerts or notifications. This way, you can be immediately notified if there is any activity on your account. This can help you spot any fraudulent activity quickly.
Finally, it's also a good idea to periodically review your accounts to make sure everything is in order. This way, you can catch any errors or discrepancies.
Tip #3: Avoid Access through Public Internet Connection
With the ubiquity of public Wi-Fi hotspots, it's become easier than ever to access the internet while on the go. However, there are some risks associated with using public Wi-Fi, especially when it comes to accessing your online accounts.
One reason to avoid accessing your accounts on public Wi-Fi is that it's not always secure. While most public Wi-Fi hotspots are legitimate, there have been cases of hackers setting up fake hotspots to steal people's information. If you connect to one of these fake hotspots and enter your login information, the hacker will be able to access your account.
Another reason to avoid accessing your accounts on public Wi-Fi is that even legitimate hotspots are not always secure. Even if you're connecting to a real Wi-Fi hotspot, there's no guarantee that the connection is secure. Hackers can intercept data being sent over an unsecured connection, meaning that your login information could be compromised even if you're connecting to a legitimate Wi-Fi hotspot.
Finally, even if the Wi-Fi connection is secure and the hotspot is legitimate, there's still a risk that your data could be intercepted by someone else on the network. If you're using public Wi-Fi, anyone else on the network will be able to see the data you're sending and receiving. This means that if you're accessing your accounts on public Wi-Fi, someone else could potentially see your login information.
Tip #4: Maintain a Strong and Unique Password
To maintain a secure online banking transaction, you need to have a strong and unique password. This will help you not easily be scammed or hacked. A strong password is essential especially nowadays when unauthorized logins are rampant.
One best practice for creating a unique password is the use of letters, numbers, and symbols. The combination of these three will enhance the security of your password. Also, the longer and the more characters you add to your password, the harder it may be hacked.
Another practice is to avoid having your birthday on your password (date, month, or year). Such information can be easily found in your social media accounts, especially if it's publicly shown.
Finally, when you are told to update your password as some banks requested to do so, never reuse your previous passwords. This may out-stock your possible passwords, however, you must use another one.
Tip #5: Put an Additional Authentication like Biometrics
Biometrics are more authentic than traditional passwords. It adds to your secure online banking. It provides an unbreakable control solution that doesn't expose your information to cybercriminals.
Nowadays, biometrics can be fingerprint scanning, facial verification, and voice recognition. This pertains to an identity that only you possess, right? No one has the same fingerprints, faces, or voices. Even twins differ in these identities. So, it is very important to add biometric authentication to your accounts for secure online banking.
There you have it! The five (5) helpful tips for secure online banking. Hope it adds to your banking reminders to block the scammers' plan of accessing your accounts. Have more secure online banking.
Source: Unionbank of the Philippines
Disclaimer: This isn't an affiliate nor a sponsored blog for Unionbank.
Thank you for the tips 😊