Feeling secure doing online banking is a myth to some people. In fact I have a friend that will not opt for online banking no matter what you say or do. I quite understand that increased number of us "online bankers" has fallen for one prank or the other that has caused us our hard earned money.
However, any suggestion at all, to cancel our Online Banking services should be ignored (you too say that is dumb, right!). Instead we need to look closely at identifying various pranks/tricks, threats and weaknesses that are being used to steal our cash. This article is aimed at empowering you with the right knowledge and skill for enjoying the immense services through Safe Online Banking.
We will briefly discuss tips to help you Feel Secure Doing Online Banking.
Login Details -Safe guard this credentials. I am referring to your Username (In most case - Account Number) and Password. Do not write them down somewhere, not even in your bedside diary (except you are 80 years and above! Jor you have Multi-factor authentication). This is the only key into your account. Although this may sometimes not transfer money (if you are using multifactor authentication) but I bet you don't want to open your personal account details to your roommates.
Multi-factor Authentication- This is a method at which you use more than one form to login into your bank account(s). This is very hard to fool. Security experts sometimes refer to this as strong authentication - What you say you are (e.g. Username), What you have (e.g. Pass Code (Token), Pass phrase or password), Who you are (Signature - e.g. Finger print) equals to your true identity.
I was glad when the Banks I use started issuing Tokens for Online Banking transactions. Tokens are small hardware that generates random numbers dedicated to you at every time to further protect your login/authorization processes. Token will make it difficult for anybody to guess the password or authorization code for you transactions. Even the next number your token will generate is not determined by you!
You need to request for multi-factor authentication from your bank or move your account. Token will give you the right feeling of control.
Internet Browser Separation - Online banking is done mainly through an internet browser. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera weaknesses have all been exploited by scammers, hackers and all sort and make away with our money without any trace. I have therefore devised a method to reduce my exposure.
* Use of different browser for different purposes- For example I use my Firefox, Chrome and Safari to do general browsing while I use Internet Explorer solely and STRICTLY for my ONLINE BANKING. The first reason being that as you browse different sites you download their cookies (knowingly or unknowingly) and some add-ons (e.g. Password Keepers and Auto-fills amongst others) on those browsers could be the same sending your details out. Another is the fact that most Online Banking Platforms are more Internet Explorer friendly (my conclusion after several use).
* No add-ons. Please do not add any add-ons to the Internet Browser you have selected. Firefox recently announced pulling down from their list; a password keeper add-on that was sending users details to a remote server. Can you imagine how many records they would have gathered before being detected?
* Protected Mode -Enable Protected Mode on your preferred browser. This is will allow browser application to function in a Sandbox (a kind of containment or confinement of function) which increase the security of your browser.
Secure Website - Any website with "HTTP:" (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) indicate that your transaction is not secure (no encryption). "HTTPS:" (HTTPSecure) is for encrypted services which guarantee that you are talking to the right server with the use of what is called sessions. You can identify this by padlock sign at the Top (IE) or at the bottom right (Firefox) of your browser. Fortunately all registered banks uses secure websites for their online banking platform
If the site is not secure (i.e. HTTPS), please don't do your Online Banking on it neither leave your Credit card nor ATM details on such sites. Always lookout for this sign PLEASE!
More- You can get more tips and tricks in our report The #1 Online Privacy Secrets.
The report covers:
* Anonymity Online - Encrypted Connection through local internet provider
* Identify Fraudulent websites and Emails
* Stop Spam -
* Browse Restricted
* Classified Information on Facebook- FB Advance Configuration
* In depth Internet Security tips
This is large library of winning Online Security tips and tricks that will bring you a great feeling of confidence while online.
By: Olayemi Oyeniyi
email - ooyeniyi@candfix.com
If you are interested please send "Online Privacy Secrets" to contact@candfix.com.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Helpful Information About Online Banking
The word "bank" is derived from the Italian word "banca", which comes from Germany, meaning "bench". For banks to exist, they need to make a profit just as with any other business.
For traditional brick and mortar banks, the majority of profit comes from fees charged for various financial services being offered, as well as interest being charged on loans, CDs, etc. While online banking also makes a profit through fees and interest charged, other ways are used as well.
For instance, thanks to technology, online banks have the ability to create affiliate partnerships whereby networking and sharing of information yields profits. Additionally, online banks can set up pages on their websites for information and tools such as articles and loan calculators.
In this case, the pages would be established as pay-per-click opportunities, meaning that every time a person clicks over to one of those pages, the bank makes money. Specific to making profit, it is easy to see that options for online banking tend to be more innovative and fluid than with traditional banks.
Now, for online banking associated with a conventional brick and mortar bank, chances are good that regular customers would not be subject to some of the fees that people creating accounts only online would incur.
It would be expected that some fees would apply through an online bank such as a fee being charged to transfer money from one account to another but these are typically nominal. Considering the thousands and thousands of online customers, the small fees would quickly add up, proving to be a nice money-making opportunity for the bank.
Millions of people all around the world now use online banking and while these people are fully aware of the convenience and time-saving benefits, there is much more to know. If you have interest in banking online instead of in person, it would be beneficial to learn all you can in that with knowledge, you can make educated decisions.
For one thing, some online banks are divisions or extensions of conventional brick and mortar banks but for others, operation is done solely online, without a brick and mortar location existing.
The same would be true regarding the products and services offered. In other words, both types of banks offer checking and savings accounts for both personal and business needs, loans of varying types, money market accounts, certificates of deposits, etc.
However, conventional banks and online banks also have unique characteristics. With internet banking staying open 24x7, 365 days a year, you would have the chance to pay credit card bills, transfer money, check accounts, and manage other finances from virtually anywhere in the world. On the other end, conventional brick and mortar banks have notary public services and rent safety deposit boxes whereas online banks do not.
As mentioned, the convenience factor of online banking has made it a huge success. If you maintain an online savings or checking account but plant to travel on vacation, you would handle many financial issues sitting in a hotel room, dining at a beach side cafe, or from your wireless mobile phone while at the beach.
With this service, you could track accounting, reconcile an account, determine if a check had cleared, transfer money, etc. Just imagine going out of town to relax only to remember you forgot to pay an important bill. Instead of panicking, you would simply log onto the internet bank and within minutes, have the bill paid and a confirmation number saved.
Online banking is convenient for other reasons too. For instance, rather than fighting to get to the bank in time to hit a deadline when sick, pushing through two feet of fresh snow on the ground, or having no one to watch the small children, you could handle your banking needs online without ever leaving the home.
Although online banking is now a well established service, with so many new banks launching sites, the types of products and services are becoming more competitive. Even prices, fees, and interest rates are changing so banks can stay competitive.
By: James A. Jackson
Learn More about Online Banking Service visit Breeze by Standard Chartered: http://breeze.standardchartered.com/
For traditional brick and mortar banks, the majority of profit comes from fees charged for various financial services being offered, as well as interest being charged on loans, CDs, etc. While online banking also makes a profit through fees and interest charged, other ways are used as well.
For instance, thanks to technology, online banks have the ability to create affiliate partnerships whereby networking and sharing of information yields profits. Additionally, online banks can set up pages on their websites for information and tools such as articles and loan calculators.
In this case, the pages would be established as pay-per-click opportunities, meaning that every time a person clicks over to one of those pages, the bank makes money. Specific to making profit, it is easy to see that options for online banking tend to be more innovative and fluid than with traditional banks.
Now, for online banking associated with a conventional brick and mortar bank, chances are good that regular customers would not be subject to some of the fees that people creating accounts only online would incur.
It would be expected that some fees would apply through an online bank such as a fee being charged to transfer money from one account to another but these are typically nominal. Considering the thousands and thousands of online customers, the small fees would quickly add up, proving to be a nice money-making opportunity for the bank.
Millions of people all around the world now use online banking and while these people are fully aware of the convenience and time-saving benefits, there is much more to know. If you have interest in banking online instead of in person, it would be beneficial to learn all you can in that with knowledge, you can make educated decisions.
For one thing, some online banks are divisions or extensions of conventional brick and mortar banks but for others, operation is done solely online, without a brick and mortar location existing.
The same would be true regarding the products and services offered. In other words, both types of banks offer checking and savings accounts for both personal and business needs, loans of varying types, money market accounts, certificates of deposits, etc.
However, conventional banks and online banks also have unique characteristics. With internet banking staying open 24x7, 365 days a year, you would have the chance to pay credit card bills, transfer money, check accounts, and manage other finances from virtually anywhere in the world. On the other end, conventional brick and mortar banks have notary public services and rent safety deposit boxes whereas online banks do not.
As mentioned, the convenience factor of online banking has made it a huge success. If you maintain an online savings or checking account but plant to travel on vacation, you would handle many financial issues sitting in a hotel room, dining at a beach side cafe, or from your wireless mobile phone while at the beach.
With this service, you could track accounting, reconcile an account, determine if a check had cleared, transfer money, etc. Just imagine going out of town to relax only to remember you forgot to pay an important bill. Instead of panicking, you would simply log onto the internet bank and within minutes, have the bill paid and a confirmation number saved.
Online banking is convenient for other reasons too. For instance, rather than fighting to get to the bank in time to hit a deadline when sick, pushing through two feet of fresh snow on the ground, or having no one to watch the small children, you could handle your banking needs online without ever leaving the home.
Although online banking is now a well established service, with so many new banks launching sites, the types of products and services are becoming more competitive. Even prices, fees, and interest rates are changing so banks can stay competitive.
By: James A. Jackson
Learn More about Online Banking Service visit Breeze by Standard Chartered: http://breeze.standardchartered.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
