As the festive season skips merrily towards you, so does the inclination to spoil your family and yourself.
The hustle and bustle slows down and you feel the ease that comes along at this time of the year. Beware though, cybercriminals have no rest and their out to take your hard earned money.
“Cybercrime is becoming increasingly sophisticated with fraudsters constantly finding new ways of carrying out their unlawful conduct, especially during busy periods like the festive season. Consumers should therefore be extra vigilant with their banking information and login details at all times,” said Yolande Steyn, head of Innovation at FNB.
Steyn said that although rapid growth of technology presents us all with boundless opportunities, it also requires vigilance to prevent consumers and business being vulnerable to cybercrime.
She shared the following tips on how consumers can protect themselves against digital banking fraud this festive season:
- Always keep your pin and password secure. If you think your pin or password has been compromised, change it immediately
- Remember to change your passwords and pins regularly
- Never use the same username and password for banking as you use on other apps and websites like social media and email
- Never do Online Banking in public areas such as internet cafes or shared computers, as you can never know what software is loaded that may compromise your transactions
- Download free Trend Antivirus and Antimalware for your computer and/or smartphone
- Update your smartphone and computer with the latest software and app updates.
- Monitor your cell phone reception. If you have lost signal for an unusually long time, you may be a victim of sim swop fraud.
- Never open suspicious or unfamiliar emails or attachments, and never click on links in emails or SMSes. Criminals make emails and SMS look legitimate and often bait you with scare tactics to confirm your account details or to login to prevent your account from being closed.
- Criminals may sometimes call you and pretend to be from your bank, service provider or a reputable retailer. During this conversation, they may ask you to verify personal and banking information. It will be safer for you to hang up and call the company directly to verify if the call is legitimate
- Never save usernames, passwords or pins on your cellphone or computer as it may allow others to access your banking without your permission
Steyn concluded that although these tips are not conclusive they will help ensure that people keep their money safe over the festive season.
