How to keep your money safe online
Whether you want to support your local businesses in times of crisis, make use of online sales, or shop necessities, don’t let cyber criminals take your money.
We are all now forced to spend time inside and online. Despite the hard times, web criminals haven’t gone anywhere. In fact, online crime has increased globally, and the Covid-19 outbreak has fueled numerous phishing and online scam campaigns. Here are 5 ways to keep your money safe online.
1. Watch out for Covid-19 related online scams and phishing
Covid-19 pandemic scams trick victims into paying money or giving personal information to cyber criminals. These online scams can offer you nonexistent or fake safety products or information about the virus and how to protect yourself. Criminals can also contact you through phone calls.
Opening attachments in phishing emails and SMS messages can take you to malicious websites and infect your device with viruses. If you get emails or SMS messages with suspicious links or attachments, don’t open them. Don’t give out personal information or payment details in SMS messages, emails or phone.
2. Check if your connection is secure
URL is the address of the page that you type in your browser. Whenever you’re making a financial transaction, check the site’s URL. Make sure the connection is encrypted so that no one can spy on your traffic. Check in the browser bar that the site starts with “https” instead of “http”. “Https” means the connection between you and the website is encrypted.
3. Make sure you’re not on a phishing or scam site
Scam sites can look like real web shops. The URL can be the only visible warning sign. To be sure that the page is not a scam site, check the URL for any typos or other suspicious elements.
In case of an unknown web shop, look for their contact information. If they don’t have any, that’s bad. You can also look for user reviews from the internet.
4. Use an online payment service so you don’t have to enter your card details
With every new site you enter your credit card details, you are trusting them to protect your information. That’s why an online payment service like PayPal makes sense. Instead of spreading your credit card details around the internet, you give your sensitive information only to the payment service. The service then acts as a middleman between you and the seller without sharing your details.
5. Keep an eye on your credit card and banking transactions
If your credit card information gets compromised, there can be charges without you knowing. Review your monthly statements to find any suspicious activity. Contact your bank immediately in case of anything unknown.
A good way to protect your money online is to restrict which countries your credit card will work in. Just remember to change the settings once it’s ok to travel again and you will need your card abroad.
💡 Remember: Always use security software and make sure it has a banking protection feature.
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