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Internet Banking Tips

Internet Banking Tips

Written by R. A. Stewart

Internet banking is here to stay whether we like it or not but so is internet scams which have caught so many people out. It is important to stick to a set of rules in order to minimise your chances of being caught out by these scams. Here is a list of rules which will help you to keep out of trouble.

Rule one-Use a separate email address for dating sites.

If you are using a dating site then do not use the same email address you would use for your banking. You have heard of “Romance Scams” and these come in many different forms. You certainly do not know who you are dealing with and you do not want your main email address clogged up with unwanted emails. 

Rule two-Two factor authentication

Give yourself an extra layer of protection by setting up a two-factor authentication. This will involve setting it up with your phone. Once this is done you will sign in with an username and password and then receive a text with a code which you will type in the space provided.

Rule three-Do not connect your debit card to your personal account

This is just asking for trouble! One person I know was fleeced of $3,000. He invested this money into his everyday account then the money disappeared from his account the following day. A site he bought goods from had his debit card details and this was linked to his personal account with the hacker having his and other customer’s banking details. The bank made good his loss.

Rule four-Do not leave all of your money in one account

You should never just leave all of your money in your personal/everyday account. Your savings should be in a separate account. It is important to establish firstly what this money is for and invest it accordingly

Rule five-Do not click on links

It is not always possible to know whether an email you receive is from your bank or from a scammer, therefore, make it a rule to never click on a link in an email. Instead, type in your bank’s website on your computer.

Rule six-Use this google trick

Copy and paste any email you receive from your bank into the google search engine and see what comes up. Do the same with any phone number you receive in an email or text. This night threw up some red flags.

Rule seven-Never, never give your password to anyone

Never give your password to anyone if they ask for it. If anyone asks you for your password in an email or text message then this is a certain red flag.

About this article

Feel free to share this article on social media. You may use this article or any part of it as content for your website or blog.

www.robertastewart.com

 

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Tell tale banking scams

The tell-tale signs of a scam

Written by R. A. Stewart

Millions of dollars are lost to scammers every year therefore, it is important to put rules in place in order to not be a victim. Here are 8 telltale signs to look out for.

Sign 1: The return is expected to be 10%+ per annum

Be even more sceptical if they say the investment is low risk. Investments by their very nature have their ups and downs. If it sounds too good to be true it almost certainly is.

Sign 2: Very high past returns

Scammers will try to tempt you by telling you about huge returns they have made in the past. They will select a particular period to present to you or simply exaggerate past returns.

Sign 3: You will be pressured into a quick decision

“Get in now before it is too late” or “act now” are commonly used phrases to get you to sign up. Scammers will prey on the fear of missing out mindset which many people suffer from.

Sign 4: You are approached out of the blue

A stranger approaches you by text, email, or phone with this great offer that is going to make you rich. The truth is they are the ones who are getting rich from this offer.

Sign 5: Free courses or seminars

You are offered a seminar for free or at a minimal cost. The presenters at the seminar can be very pushy and pressure attendees to sign along the dotted line.

Sign 6: Asking for PIN numbers and passwords

This is applicable to email scams. Never, never, never share your PIN numbers and passwords with anyone. Banks will never ask for these. When signing in to your bank type in the URL address and never just click on a link because scammers will set up a fake bank website which looks like the real thing. It is often hard to tell the difference though.

Sign 7: You have won a prize you never entered.

You receive an email saying that you have won a prize in a competition you never entered. This has scam written all over it. Delete the email immediately.

Sign 8: You are asked not to share this opportunity with others

A scammer does not want you to share this so-called opportunity with others; they want you to keep it to yourself. The reason being that others may spot the tell tale signs that this is a scam before you do.

This is all a reminder to be very vigilant and set some hard and fast rules that you never break under any circumstances. Things you can do to prevent being scammed.

1 Never, never, never give out your password or pin number to anyone under any circumstances. 

2 Never click on any email links from any bank; instead, type in the URL address and log in.

3 Do not leave all of your money in one bank account. Invest it in several places.

  1. Do not use the same email you use for banking for signing up to dating websites.

It is a good idea to cut out newspaper clippings from articles about people who have been scammed and learn from other people’s experiences. Take notes of how you can tighten your own security.

About this article

The information provided is based on the writer’s knowledge and experience, therefore discretion is advised as it may not be applicable to your personal circumstances.

www.robertastewart.com

 

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The tell-tale signs of a scam

The tell-tale signs of a scam

Millions of dollars are lost to scammers every year therefore, it is important to put rules in place in order to not be a victim. Here are 8 telltale signs to look out for.

Sign 1: The return is expected to be 10%+ per annum

Be even more sceptical if they say the investment is low risk. Investments by their very nature have their ups and downs. If it sounds too good to be true it almost certainly is.

Sign 2: Very high past returns

Scammers will try to tempt you by telling you about huge returns they have made in the past. They will select a particular period to present to you or simply exaggerate past returns.

Sign 3: You will be pressured into a quick decision

“Get in now before it is too late” or “act now” are commonly used phrases to get you to sign up. Scammers will prey on the fear of missing out mindset which many people suffer from.

Sign 4: You are approached out of the blue

A stranger approaches you by text, email, or phone with this great offer that is going to make you rich. The truth is they are the ones who are getting rich from this offer.

Sign 5: Free courses or seminars

You are offered a seminar for free or at a minimal cost. The presenters at the seminar can be very pushy and pressure attendees to sign along the dotted line.

Sign 6: Asking for PIN numbers and passwords

This is applicable to email scams. Never, never, never share your PIN numbers and passwords with anyone. Banks will never ask for these. When signing in to your bank type in the URL address and never just click on a link because scammers will set up a fake bank website which looks like the real thing. It is often hard to tell the difference though.

Sign 7: You have won a prize you never entered.

You receive an email saying that you have won a prize in a competition you never entered. This has scam written all over it. Delete the email immediately.

Sign 8: You are asked not to share this opportunity with others

A scammer does not want you to share this so-called opportunity with others; they want you to keep it to yourself. The reason being that others may spot the tell tale signs that this is a scam before you do.

This is all a reminder to be very vigilant and set some hard and fast rules that you never break under any circumstances. Things you can do to prevent being scammed.

1 Never, never, never give out your password or pin number to anyone under any circumstances. 

2 Never click on any email links from any bank; instead, type in the URL address and log in.

3 Do not leave all of your money in one bank account. Invest it in several places.

  1. Do not use the same email you use for banking for signing up to dating websites.

It is a good idea to cut out newspaper clippings from articles about people who have been scammed and learn from other people’s experiences. Take notes of how you can tighten your own security.

About this article

The information provided is based on the writer’s knowledge and experience, therefore discretion is advised as it may not be applicable to your personal circumstances.

www.robertastewart.com

 

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Impersonating bank scam warning!

Impersonating bank scam warning!

A scam operating on the internet which involves impersonating well-known New Zealand financial adviser Frances Cook is contacting Ms Cook’s followers on social media. Those who comment on her content will receive a message from the scammer or scammers. Frances has 150,000 followers on twitter and the scammers will contact her followers with some offer. Frances will never message you with some offer or try to convince you to purchase cryptocurrency. With so many twitter profiles of Frances Cook it is hard to know who the real Frances Cook is.

It is the same old story of doing your due diligence.

Online banking scams the new norm

It is no secret that online banking scams are costing New Zealanders millions of dollars per annum and with technology such as artificial intelligence coming on the scene scammers have new ways of scamming people. It is important to put rules in place to prevent you from being a victim of a scam. Here is a list of rules to follow. You may have others that you could add to this list or may come up with others at a later date.

Don’t s

  1. Don’t use a common password such as your pet’s name or the name of your home town.
  2. Don’t sign in through a link in your email but instead type out the bank’s website address in the URL bar.
  3. Don’t save your password to your device.
  4. Don’t use the same email address your your banking as you do with a dating website.
  5. Don’t click on any banking links in your email
  6. Don’t link your debit card to your everyday account

 about

  1. Don’t have your wages go into your debit card
  2. Don’t just leave thousands of dollars in your ordinary savings account but put it in a separate account or bank that is not linked to the internet.
  3. Don’t click on any unfamiliar links in your email.
  4. Don’t use the same password for different accounts

Do’s

  1. Do be sceptical when you are offered an investment opportunity online.
  2. Do keep your financial affairs private apart from your own bank.
  3. Do ask for financial advice if you suspect something is not quite right.

4 Do change your passwords now and again.

  1. Do ensure you have 2 factor authentication in place for extra security
  2. Do invest your money in several places for extra protection.

About this article: The information in this article may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised.

www.robertastewart.com