Care To Be Taken While Using Net Banking

This 21^st century is the technological era where going door to door or visiting offices 24*7 and standing in the queue does not gives us a long lasting positive impact. The very basic service which is necessary for every citizen is the banking service which includes transferring money from one bank account to another, paying several kinds of bills such as electricity bills, water supply bills, house taxes, banks premium, our insurances, EMI and many more. Going along with the governmental schemes, we can choose NET BANKING for reducing the burden and empowering the citizens of India technologically.

Also with the positive side of the technology, it has a negative aspect as it facilitates commercial activities. The misuse of this technology for fraud is called as cyber crime. 

Cyber crime is a new form of crime that has emerged due to the computerization of various activities in an organization in a networked environment. Cybercrimes are an increasing threats because of the rapid increase in information technology.

As prevention is always better than cure, a smart internet user should take certain precautions while operating the internet and should follow certain preventive measures for cyber crimes, these measures can be considered as suggestions also:1.     ALWAYS USE GENUINE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Antivirus software protects computers from security threats. Anti-virus helps in detecting spyware that can steal your sensitive information.

2.    AVOID USING PUBLIC Wi-Fi NETWORKS OR USE VPN SOFTWARE AND PUBLIC COMPUTERS

 The hacker sits in between the end hotspot and the user trace all the data without any difficulty this is biggest threat of an open Wi-Fi network  Malware into your device introduces because of hackers unsecured connection and it gives an opportunity to such device. So, the use of public Wi-Fi hotspots for internet or mobile banking and making payments on e-commerce sites should be avoided. However, if you are a regular public Wi-Fi user, consider setting up VPN software on your computer. It creates a secure tunnel between the computer and the internet and prevents hackers from intercepting the traffic. Also, avoid using public computers as they can restore your data. If you do so then don’t forget to clear the history or go incognito.

3. CHECK FOR LATEST UPDATES OF YOUR SMARTPHONE’S OPERATING SYSTEM

Smartphone users should keep on updating their system with the latest version of software and security patches. Security controls from the phone are essential they should not remove it often called ‘jailbreaking or rooting’. They should always restrict that apps ask for access when being installed to only what the app really needs.

 4.      CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD FREQUENTLY AND ENSURE IT’S A  STRONG ONE

 The bank never asks for your personal information or confidential information via phone or email. So don’t share your personal information with anyone. If you have written your banking passwords in a notepad or a diary, make sure it remains confidential.

Further, passwords should always be complicated long and not easy to catch by others. Create different passwords for log-in and for financial transactions through internet banking for the safety of security.

5.      AVOID SIGNING–INTO YOUR NET BANKING ACCOUNT VIA MAILERS

To maintain the safety it,s safe to type the bank URL yourself than getting redirected to it via a promotional mail or any other personal website. As mentioned earlier a bank will never ask you for login credentials to your account. So, if there’s a fraudulent email that offers to redirect you to your bank’s website and you enter your personal details on a landing page after clicking it, there’s a huge risk of your login credentials being stolen. Hence, if you remove an email from a bank asking for login details, treat it with suspicion.

These are basic suggestions which are very common but still people forget to follow them and have to suffer from such kinds of cybercrime. We should spread the thoughts and ideas regarding the precautions to be taken while using net banking so that the chances of being the victim under any cybercrime should be minimized.

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By- Yashvi Kushwah, 2nd year student of Bansthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan and she is currently pursuing B.COM LL.B.