Last updated on July 7th, 2024 at 10:50 am
Mobile banking is the ultimate in convenience - but you still need to protect your data.
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Almost every person, regardless of age or location, has a smartphone. Smartphones have completely changed how people are leading their lives. According to www.forbes.com, 95% of Americans own smartphones. Mobile banking is also one of the most crucial aspects associated with owning a smartphone right now. Before smartphones, people had to visit their banks if they had to deposit the money to their account or make a withdrawal. Banking started to become time consuming and inconvenient until mobile banking came into the picture. Mobile banking is undoubtedly one of the most popular ways of monitoring as well as managing money.
However, one question that people keep asking is whether mobile banking is secure enough and if thieves have the capability of sniffing out their account information. They also want to know whether making financial transactions is safe over mobile phones. There is good news for the people who are constantly worried about transferring or receiving money with the help of mobile applications. Mobile banking is secure because there are different variations of applications as well as methods that are present within the market. Mobile banking apps use encryption to protect your sensitive information in transit. You can also consider the rules that are listed below to ensure that all your banking information stays protected.
Do Not Follow Any Links
You might already be aware of the term phishing. Phishing is the practice of tricking a person into revealing his private information. Fishing and phishing have a similar concept, that is, baits are constantly involved in both. In the scheme of phishing, the bait can be an email or a simple text message. It can also be extremely complex like a fake website design, which has been mimicked exactly to copy the official website of your bank. This is known as spoofing.
You should avoid following banking links that are sent via text messages or emails. These links can lead you to websites that are spoofed. If you are entering your private information into these sites, you have handed your data to thieves. It is a great idea to navigate websites directly. Enter the web address of your bank and bookmark it. This will help ensure that you’re always visiting the official website. Apart from that, it is suggested that you avoid sending your password or account information through emails or text messages.
Avoid Banking When You’re on a Public Network
Numerous mobile devices help in connecting with different kinds of networks, which also include Wi-Fi networks. You can be extremely tempted to check the balance or even make transfers when you are grabbing a drink in any coffee shop. However, before you are logging into the account, it is a must that you check whether you are connected to any public network.
Public connections are not secure at all. Most places, which offer public Wi-Fi, are responsible for warning users to avoid sharing sensitive information. If you have to accept the account information, you must switch to other networks. In case if you are using your smartphone, you need to disable your Wi-Fi and switch to the cellular network. You need to be extremely careful because you never know who is going to steal your information.
Make use of Official Banking Applications Only
Most of the banks are responsible for offering official applications that can be downloaded on your smartphone. These apps are much more secure in comparison to sending any information through SMS messages or emails. Reputable banks even ensure that the information that you send across to some other network through an application is encrypted.
You need to ensure that your bank is approving the application before you are downloading as well as installing it. Most of the banks are going to include sections on websites and allow you to understand the official applications. As soon as you verify that the application is official, it is not going to be difficult to either download or install the application on your device.
Remain Careful of What You are Downloading
Indeed, there are not as many examples of malware that are present on the mobile device markets in comparison to traditional computers. However, you can’t ignore the fact that mobile devices are ultimately specialized computers. This means that hackers can design applications that can easily access your sensitive information. This can happen if you download an application that contains malicious code such as a keylogger.
Keyloggers are programs that are responsible for recording keystrokes. Every number and letter that you are entering into the mobile device can be recorded easily. In case if the hacker is pairing a keylogger with codes, that are capable of sending text messages or emails, you will end up sending all the important information to a particular hacker irrespective of his location.
One thing that you need to understand is that mobile devices are not much prone to malware attacks in comparison to computers. However, you must remain careful when you are downloading applications. This is true not only for the banking applications but also for other applications. You need to make sure that you are researching before you are downloading. Also, ensure that the app developers of particular applications have a proper reputation.
Keep Track of the Mobile Device
One of the biggest risks associated with mobile banking is that every individual is carrying their mobile phones along with them. Your mobile device is going to contain almost everything from the passwords to your contact list to important appointments. This kind of information can be extremely dangerous especially if the mobile device is falling into the wrong hands. This is why it is suggested that you use digital locking mechanisms provided your device supports them. This is going to help in ensuring that your data is protected and thieves cannot access the bank account.
Conclusion
You do not have to be scared to access your bank accounts through your mobile phones. If you are paying proper attention, you will understand that mobile banking is not only convenient but it is extremely secure. Also, ensure that you are keeping the security tips that have been mentioned above on your mind so that you can avoid any mishaps.
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