If you’ve just been offered a generous amount of money over email by an anonymous person half-way across the world or have been asked to furnish your bank account details and passwords, chances are someone’s trying to take you for a ride. Let’s take a look at some simple ways by which you can protect yourself against online fraud.
SIGN YOUR CARD AFTER RECEIVING
Sign the back of your credit or debit cards after you receive them from your bank. Doing this will help ascertain whether the card any merchants return is the one you gave them since card duplication is a common method of identity theft.
PLAY ONLINE GAMES CAREFULLY
Don’t give crucial information related to your identity impulsively when prompted by games and memes.
UPDATE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS
While moving places, contact your financial institutions, tax authorities and credit reporting agencies, and keep them updated with all information about your current location. Scammers use outdated personal information to sneak into your accounts
ONLINE SHOPPING
Always use a trusted merchant while shopping online and make sure your every purchase is secured with encryption, which protects your account information. To ensure that the transaction is secure, check that the web address starts with https://.
USE THE BLOCK OPTION
If you suspect someone suspicious is trying to contact you, block them or add them to your spam list.
DON'T SHARE BANK DETAILS
Never share your bank details with anyone. Your bank will never ask you for your account number, PIN or password over email.
INVEST IN A GOOD ANTI-VIRUS
Use trusted anti-virus and anti-malware software to protect your computer, phones and tablets. Make sure you check regularly for software updates.
AVOID PUBLIC COMPUTERS FOR BANK LOGINS
Avoid accessing your bank accounts from a public or office computer. If you can't avoid it, make sure to do it in private and log out of the pages after you're done.
SPREAD AWARENESS
If you’ve been tricked online, share your experiences with family members, especially vulnerable ones like young people and the elderly.
