I could take money off you in 10 seconds – and you may never know it.
You could do it to extremely easily too.
Why?
Because people do not check basic points when using the internet.
Firstly be wary of any site no matter how it looks.
Certain checks should be made on all sites where your security is a matter of importance. Anything can be faked by experienced hackers and you should always go to a bookmarked or typed web address rather than follow links from emails or websites.
Secure sites
Is there a padlock symbol in the information bar at the bottom of the web page?
Is there also “https” at the start of the web address and not “http”?
If you’ve answered yes to these two questions then it means the site is encrypted which means if you type sensitive information a hacker shouldn’t be able to read it.
Company knowledge
If you do not know the company, check on the contact page first – a legitimate company really should have a landline phone number or at least a proper address as well as an email contact address. If you have any doubts – then give the phone number a call first and talk to a person to find out who the company are. However, be careful of expensive per minute calls – a totally different scam altogether.
Make a search of the company on a search engine to see if there are any pages linking to information about the company.
Phishing
Phishing is a technique used to lure people into a website under false belief that it is actually another. For instance you could receive an email from who you are led to believe is Abbey National asking you to visit an included link. When you click on the link and arrive at the website it won’t actually be Abbey National who owns it but rather a hacker who is out to retrieve your personal details. Be very aware of this, It is usually initiated by an email.
Most banks have a no-email policy so you should be wary if you receive one.
Remember, any good web designer/developer can ‘dress up’ a page to look like a well known company/bank simply by taking the code from the web page – DO NOT trust emails simply because you recognise the logo.
Phishing is simple and highly effective but if you follow the advice above and you shouldn’t fall a victim.
Stay proactive
Being hit by some scams may be hard to swallow and quite an embarrassment. However, you shouldn’t die from any of these attacks and some banks will cover the cost.
Check with your bank’s website to see where you would stand and ask what precautions they offer in the fight against online fraud. Just make sure you visit the right website.
