A concern that some people have about banking online is the security and privacy of banking over the Internet. The banking community has realized the importance of these concerns and are implementing measures to make banking online as safe as possible.
With advanced technologies available today such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL), the protocol for transferring encrypted data, your information is protected throughout the entire transaction. However, when you are banking online there are rules that must be followed in order to safeguard your information.
Here are some tips to protect yourself while banking online:
· Obtain a brief history of the bank by going to their website and clicking on an "about us" or something similar to it. This should reveal the official name of the bank, their headquarters and insurance information such as the FDIC. The FDIC insures up to $100,000 per depositor. To see if your bank is insured by the FDIC go to their website at www.fdic.gov and click on "Is my bank insured?".
· Do not give your Personal Pin Identification Number (PIN) to anyone including bank personal. There is no need for them to have this information.
· Protect your privacy. Look for the "privacy" section on the bank’s website. This will provide you with the bank’s policy regarding the process they use in obtaining and providing information about you.
· Beware of "copycat" websites that will use a name and or address very similar to your banks. These fraud artists are trying to trick you into logging on to their fraudulent site so they can steal your bank account number and password. Fortunately, this practice does not appear to be widespread, however, when banking online care should be taken when typing in the address of the bank.
· Close your browser after signing off in order to clear its memory.
Banking online will provide you with both convenience and time savings. You will wonder how you ever did without it. Happy Banking.
