As life is progressing, people are moving towards having everything in the palm of their hand. In Japan, people use barcodes on the street to purchase groceries by scanning the barcode through their smartphones, which are ultimately added to the shopping cart and delivered.
While that’s an evolved technology change, online banking has paved way for smart banking where paperless transactions are made through your mobiles sitting at home. All your bills paid in a snap, but all the hype leads to unwanted hackers preparing ways to hack your smartphone.
Yes! It’s possible to hack your mobile without having the pin code. Even the front and back camera can be accessed. You can be that person who loses millions just because someone obtained your banking details by bypassing the software of your mobile. That is something to think about.
But you can avoid such scams. Let’s see how
Table of Contents
Choose an account with two-factor Authentication
One of the most common ways to keep your online banking safe is to use two-factor authentications. Nowadays it’s a must for high profile website to use 2 step verification which strengthens the security of your account. If you login from a different account or use the account after a long time, it’ll require two-factor authentications to gain access.
What it does is, the account generates a unique 4-digit code specifically for the account owner and is sent over as a text message. The code is valid for a short span and can only be accessed on your smartphone. Any hacker would need to have your smartphone to breach your privacy.
Check for latest updates on your Smartphone’s operating system
One of the critical note to make regarding your mobile is to keep your software up to date. For iOS users its essential not to root your device or jailbreak it. Doing that would remove all security measures of your device which will be vulnerable to hacks.
They should always try to restrict access that apps ask for when installing to what the app requires. The updates of cell phones are created to patch the loop holes eating your phones software and battery leading to unavoidable spams and virus.
Use an Anti-Virus
We all know about antiviruses. But we have a very negative perception towards it that it brings more advertisements in your mobile and heats your gadget. What we don’t realize for online banking through mobile, Anti-virus is a must have. It’s an excellent safeguard for your device.
We browse on multiple domains and websites and allow app downloads from ‘Unknown Sources’ which aren’t trustworthy leading to viruses entering your phone such as pipe channels. A good antivirus will scan your emails, browser, block ads and malware-driven downloads without you knowing it. Its available both on Android and iOS making your online banking safe.
Say no to Untrusted Wi-Fi
We tend to access public WiFis to do online banking through your mobile, but you can’t trust their security. Why? These WiFi connections are mostly not encrypted making it easy for cybercriminals to hack and steal your precious information anytime they’d want.
These WiFis lure you into a trap and by all means, humans are a curious species who want to inquire and check. We do tap on the free WiFi emoticon just out of curiosity. To avoid this use your cellular data connection provided by your smartphones network company.
Disable Auto-Login
Online Banking Websites or the apps usually store passwords. We tend to click on ‘Remember me’ just to avoid the hassle of logging in our credentials. What we don’t realize is once your mobile goes in the wrong hands by chance could lead to an unimagined loss on a large scale resulting you to lose your finances and data in seconds.
Some web browsers automatically store the credentials, if that’s the case of choice then disable the feature on the bank’s website.
Be Wary of Text Scams and Emails
Your bank will never inquire through an email or text to ask for your personal information regarding account details. That’s not the professional way in the corporate world. If you receive an email or text regarding this type of message, use caution and don’t respond. Instead, inquire the issue with your bank’s customer assistance helpline which you’ll come across on the back of your Debit or Credit Card.
Remember, a stranger will not randomly email you to inform that you won a thousand dollars which are being deposited in your bank account. These are all marketing spams. Avoid them.
Create a Strong Password
We all realize the importance of a secure password. Even the website which requires a password shows a notification bar of how strong or weak the password is. Likewise create a strong password for your online bank account as well. It should include lowercase, uppercase letters, symbols and numerical.
Things don’t stop there. Change your passwords more often and don’t use the same password for a different website. In case you tend you forget passwords then use a password manager to manage all your passwords.
Keep Bluetooth turned Off
Have you ever heard of hijacking your device by tempering Bluetooth? We all know Bluetooth shouldn’t be turned on non-stop but hijacking is a first. If you haven’t then you’re in for a surprise. Blue bugging and Blue snarfing are the terms being used to hack through Bluetooth.
Hackers online tap into your Bluetooth and take control of your entire device and its functions. The best way is to keep it switched off unless essential to use to avoid any Banking frauds.
Refer to a VPN
Doing banking online can turn from ease to a disaster if the precautionary measure is not taken. Use a VPN; when all doors are blocked regarding online security on your mobile, then only VPN could give you 100% secure internet connection. A VPN would switch your IP address to a different one depending on what you chose.
Through that, all your traffic will be diverted towards your new fake IP address keeping your real IP address masked from unwanted hackers while you do your banking online on your mobile.Not all the VPNs are as good as they claimed to be. We have analyzed over a dozens of VPN providers but only a few have passed the test. We highly recommend our readers to go with NordVPN that is featured-rich and very affordable.
Keep a Check on Your Bank Statements
Most banks will notify you if your account has been accessed. But don’t rely on those alerts since it can be easily manipulated. It’s advised to keep a check on your bank statements and see if you find any suspicious ledger or purchase that you didn’t make.
Conclusion
While online banking became mobile, instead of easing the life it created fear of losing your finances. No matter what you do, you can be targeted. Do not live in a bubble that no such cyber theft could happen to you.
While you sit relaxed your online banking through your mobile would lead to severe damages. Be aware of such troubles and take safety measure mentioned in our blog.
