We’re all frightened of losing our money or of being scammed, but here are 15 vital tips to help make your shopping and financial transactions trouble free.
- Make up and use a proper, effective password for each separate website – don’t skimp on this, it’s your first line of defence so make it a good one
- Don’t use the same password for several sites and ensure you change passwords each month – it’s a drudge but it’s worse than suffering loss
- Don’t (ever) give your ‘pin’ or other security numbers away to anyone and always check why someone wants your bank details – learn to refuse if unsure.
- Never give someone your password to ’sign you in’ and never give anyone your financial details for any reason – remember that, at worst, they may not take as good care of them as you do
- Don’t be panicked into acting on an email, pick up the phone and call your bank or log onto the bank site but type in the url or copy and paste from a list only you hold
- Never click links in emails, always type in or copy and paste from a list under your control
- Check online statements regularly – or at least once a week for seldom used accounts – and remember your Ebay account, too
- Securely delete or electronically shred sensitive files on your machine, never delete them or, worse, put them in the recycle bin. Electronic data erasers are available free or for a small charge on the internet
- Don’t use photocopiers for sensitive documents – many new ones keep a copy of the document they process that may be accessible to others. If you want a photocopy you can scan and print
- Never, ever, keep copies of financial documents unprotected on your hard drive and never keep printed copies unprotected around the house or in your office
- Visit each financial institution you use and write down the number or numbers to call if something goes wrong and note also the procedure to follow
- Important documents that can only be replaced with difficulty must be stored somewhere safe away from your home or work address like a bank or safe deposit
- Use a shredder or burn sensitive documents you receive in the post or ones you print from the internet and make sure there are no exceptions to this
- Remember phishing works on the phone, too – especially if your number is discoverable from the internet or from work documents
- If you find something unusual – don’t delay but act the same day
Mon, Jul 7, 2008, by Mike Taperell
Security