Developing your street-smarts when it comes to the digital world comes with knowing and understanding the digital arena. WesBank is dedicated to keeping you informed of all the relevant information you will need when it comes to navigating the digital world. Here are a few tips, tricks and hacks for staying safe online.
Be unhackable Hank:
Ensure that your banking app and software is updated to the latest version available.
Create and remember a strong password. A strong password includes a number, an upper case and lower-case letter, and special characters (e.g.: *#%$).
Never use public networks or computers to conduct your banking.
“We stay abreast of the demands and rapidly changing nature of the digital world, and WesBank is dedicated to ensuring the safety of our customers when using any of our digital services,” says Kutlwano Mogatusi, WesBank Motor, Communication Specialist. “If ever a shadow of doubt crosses your mind, we encourage you to contact our consultants online, telephonically, or on any of our social media platforms and they will help to resolve any queries you may have.”
Malicious emails:
Keep an eye out for malicious emails which may appear to be originating from an official financial institution, e-commerce site, government agency or any business. These emails will often inform you that your account has been compromised and it will require you to take swift action such as logging in to your online profile with the link provided. Be proactive in checking the legitimacy of the email by contacting the company directly. Do not use the contact details as listed in the email but rather source them from an official website. When in doubt, do not act on the prompts given in any suspicious notifications.
Take out the trash:
Your spam folder generally consists of promotional emails but once in a while, you may find an important communication that may have slipped in there. To keep track of what may land in your spam folder; manage your filters and flag important emails as this will help prevent incorrect filing from your email server. Also, make it a habit to frequently empty your spam folder so that there isn’t too much to sift through.
Phishing facts:
There are two types of phishing that you need to be mindful of. The first kind is regular phishing. This is when you receive an email that has a link attached, which can either ask you to fill in your personal information. Or, the link might compromise the safety of your machine with malware or even viruses. The second is spear phishing. This is a specialised and targeted form of phishing. Spear phishing seeks to collect information and data from a specific group. Spear phishing gives way for regular phishing to occur.
For example, if a cybercriminal gains access to a business’ client list, that is spear phishing. They then are able to send emails (that look more legitimate) to phish for the data or information from a client directly.