How To Keep Your Money Safe Online
The Internet is a mixture of both wonderful and terrible. Wonderful in that you can go online and do just about anything imaginable: from shopping for groceries to watching the latest series or playing the latest video games. On the flip side, the Internet can also be incredibly dangerous, and there are plenty of individuals and groups out there who have made it their mission to try and scam as many people out their money as possible.
But spending money online doesn’t have to be a scary prospect; there are a number of ways to keep your funds safe from prying eyes, it just takes a little bit of caution and pre-emptive action.
- Strong Passwords
It may seem obvious to have a strong password, but security experts believe that almost all account breaches happen because of a weak password. Having a solid password can provide security and keep your money safe. Experts recommend having a password that contains no known dictionary words, plenty of numbers, and random capitalisation. The more mixed up it is, the stronger it is.
- Password Manager
experts also agree that you should not use the same password for all your accounts. It may make things more complicated, but it provides another level of security. In order to manage all your different passwords, having a password manager is the recommended course of action. These managers keep all your passwords locked up safe, and ensure that you have access to them at all times.
- Avoid Suspicious Websites
The Internet is full of websites that have ulterior motives, and it can be extremely difficult to discern exactly which may try and rob you of personal and financial information. The first wall of security you may come across is a warning from Google, which will be put in place if enough people have reported the website in the past. If you have any kind of Internet security, it will inevitably pop up and let you know if the website you’re trying to access may be malicious in nature.
- Online Wallet
An online wallet is a relatively new accessory, but one that can ensure your money is locked away in a virtual vault until you need. There are multiple online wallets to choose from, and some may come with the antivirus software that you have installed. It’s not too dissimilar from a password manager in that it has everything you need in one, easy-to-access package, allowing you to manage funds for your pokies online site, for example, without any extra steps.
- Fraud Protection
Fraud protection is a layer of security that is often part of a credit card. For the most part, the credit card owners needs to opt for the extra perks manually, but once done, it can allow you to contact your credit card provider and possibly get your money back from a company or site that didn’t fulfil their end of the transaction. It’s a good feature to have, and is usually available for free.