{"id":19611,"date":"2019-11-27T12:24:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T17:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.eztaxreturn.com\/?p=19611"},"modified":"2023-06-06T06:42:44","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T11:42:44","slug":"tips-for-safer-online-banking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.eztaxreturn.com\/blog\/tips-for-safer-online-banking\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Safer Online Banking"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Online banking makes it convenient to manage your finances while you&#8217;re on the go.\u00a0 You can deposit checks, transfer funds, even apply for a loan without stepping foot in a branch.\u00a0 But is it safe?\u00a0 Yes, as long as you take the right security measures. For instance, no banking on public <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wi-Fi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Wi-Fi (opens in a new tab)\">Wi-Fi<\/a>. Here are some other ways to keep your financial accounts safe and secure.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Protect your devices<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most people don\u2019t use a password to protect their smartphones.\u00a0 Leaving your device unlocked will give a person unlimited access if it\u2019s lost or stolen.\u00a0 Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Personal_identification_number\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"PIN (opens in a new tab)\">PIN<\/a> and set it to auto-lock after 30 seconds of inactivity.\u00a0 Any device you use for online banking also needs to have <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Antivirus_software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"antivirus software (opens in a new tab)\">antivirus software<\/a> installed.\u00a0 Good software will update automatically and frequently to protect you from the latest security threats.\u00a0 Choose a program that offers identity protection, data backup and has a powerful firewall.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Don&#8217;t let your browser store your login information<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having your accounts set to auto-login can be a huge time saver especially if you\u2019re not good at remembering your password.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s a big security risk.\u00a0 With minimal effort, anyone can get into your emails, social media and bank accounts.\u00a0 It may take a little longer, but manually entering your usernames and passwords is safer.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Use hard to guess passwords<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Password\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"password (opens in a new tab)\">password<\/a> is \u201c123456\u201d, \u201c123456789\u201d, \u201cqwerty\u201d or \u201cpassword\u201d, congratulations, yours is the same as at least a million other people.\u00a0 Go change it right now.\u00a0 An easy way to make a strong password you\u2019ll actually remember is to use a phrase and incorporate a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.\u00a0 The longer the password, the better.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Enable two-factor authentication<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Normally to log into your account, you just enter your username\/password and off you go.\u00a0 Because so many people use lousy passwords, your account may not be as secure as you think.\u00a0 To take your security level up a notch, it\u2019s recommended that you enable <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Multi-factor_authentication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"two-factor authentication (opens in a new tab)\">two-factor authentication<\/a>.\u00a0 This will provide an extra layer of protection by forcing you to enter another piece of information.\u00a0 Usually you\u2019ll receive a text message from your bank containing a special code for you to enter.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recognize and avoid phishing scams<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Be wary of emails asking you to confirm or update account information.\u00a0 Even if it appears to be from a trusted source, it may be part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Phishing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"phishing (opens in a new tab)\">phishing<\/a> scheme.\u00a0 Fishy things to look out for are generic greetings, misspellings and poor grammar.\u00a0 Also, if you hover your mouse over the link, you&#8217;ll reveal the true destination. Clicking any of the links will take you to a fraudulent website where your username, password and eventually your money will be stolen.\u00a0 It\u2019s much safer to visit your bank\u2019s website by typing the URL into your browser.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Set up account alerts<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Setting up text or email alerts with your bank can make it easier to stay on top of your accounts.\u00a0 You can receive notifications about your activity, upcoming bill payments and more.\u00a0 If overdraft fees are eating away at your savings, we recommend signing up for low balance alerts.\u00a0 When your balance drops below a specified amount, you&#8217;ll receive a warning. From there, you can transfer more money into the account or reduce your spending.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Monitor your transactions<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t let the fact that your bank has a fraud department give you a false sense of security.\u00a0 You still need to monitor your accounts with your own two eyes.\u00a0 At least once a week, take a few minutes to review all your bank and credit card transactions to ensure they are legit.\u00a0 If you spot an unauthorized charge, you need to report it to your financial institution right away.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">File your taxes online fast, ez and securely.<\/h2>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Online banking makes it convenient to manage your finances while you&#8217;re on the go.\u00a0 You can deposit checks, transfer funds, even apply for a loan without stepping foot in a branch.\u00a0 But is it safe?\u00a0 Yes, as long as you take the right security measures. For instance, no banking on public Wi-Fi. Here are some [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-finance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.13 (Yoast SEO v20.13) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Tips for Safer Online Banking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Online banking makes it convenient to manage your finances while you&#039;re on the go. But is it safe? Find out now.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.eztaxreturn.com\/blog\/tips-for-safer-online-banking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tips for Safer Online Banking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Online banking makes it convenient to manage your finances while you&#039;re on the go. But is it safe? 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