How to make sure your banking is safe

Switching to online banking makes it quick and easy for you to check your balance on the go, but it can come with risks. We’ve rounded up some handy tips to help you keep your accounts as secure as possible.

Make sure to change your password regularly

Everyone knows how important it is to have strong security for online profiles, but generic phrases like ‘password’ and ‘123456’ are still the most common passwords. You need to make sure that your online banking password is strong and hard to guess, using a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.

If you have a go-to password that you use for everything, try to change it up a bit for your bank, so that it’s still easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to crack.

If you use mobile apps or contactless payments like Apple or Android Pay and you let your phone remember your passwords for you, make sure your devices are protected with a pin number or other security measure. Remember to always properly log out of any banking apps too, as just closing the app or webpage is not always enough.

Never check your account on an unsafe connection

Mobile banking and phone-based payments mean it has become common for people to manage their money on the move without the hassle of pulling out a card. However, this new age of technology has come with a new set of safety problems.

When you’re out and about, avoid using public Wi-Fi connections for online banking or making purchases, because it’s not always guaranteed that the network will be secure.

Standard mobile 3G and 4G data connections are often the best to use, even if they are a bit slower.

Don't fall for scam emails

Hackers don’t necessarily have to guess your password to get access to your account. Scarily, sometimes you can do the hard work for them without even realising.

Fake emails claiming to be from your bank encourage you to click unsafe links and visit fake websites, which allow fraudsters to steal your details. If you receive an email from your bank, always go directly to their website instead of clicking links. Watch out for typos and strange sender addresses too, as those are easy ways to spot whether or not an email is genuine.

If you do have any suspicions, contact your bank immediately, making sure to call the contact number your bank gave you or one that is listed on its website.

Never give out personal information

This one might seem like a given, but you should never give anyone access to your passwords and pin numbers unless you know that you can trust them.

If you’re signing into your accounts on someone else’s mobile or laptop, make sure that you don’t allow the device to save your details for future logins, as that would leave you open to suspicious activity.

Even if yo trust your friends, there’s no guarantee that their phone won’t be hacked, lost or stolen, so always be security savvy.