In today’s society, many people do a huge portion of their shopping online. And while this can be very convenient and even save you money, in the back of their minds, many people are also worried about just how safe and secure the transactions that they’re making online are. Especially with security breaches that have taken place within financial institutions in the past, it can be hard to feel completely safe when buying things online.
So to help your mind to rest a little easier, here are three tips for protecting your finances while online.
Be Careful With What You Share Via Email
It’s not only when you’re buying something or checking on your finances online that someone can find something that could make you vulnerable to a cyberattack on your money.
According to Dana Anspach, a contributor to The Balance, hackers will often hang out in your email accounts to see if you’ve sent or received anything that could give them the information they can use to break into your accounts. Because of this, you should be extra careful when sharing financial or personal information via email. If you need to share this type of information, try to use a file sharing service rather than sending this sensitive information over email where it can be more easily hacked.
Protect Yourself With Two-Factor Authentication
Another way you can better protect your finances when you’re online is to use a two-factor authentication system before you allow any financial steps to be taken with your account.
Ryan Marquis, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that this two-factor authentication usually means that you’ll get a call or text asking for you to approve or validate actions that have taken place with your account. This can help call your attention to anything that might be amiss. And if you can’t or don’t want to approve of potential fraud, it will be dealt with swiftly and with minimal damage to your financial accounts.
Use The Right Cards When Shopping Online
To help keep your bank account safe while you’re doing online shopping, Allie Johnson, a contributor to CreditCards.com, recommends that you consider the actual cards you’re using to make your purchases.
Credit cards will usually have more security features than debit cards. And if your debit card gets hacked, they can steal your actual money rather than just adding money onto your credit card that can easily be reversed. But for the most protection, you might want to use a virtual credit card that isn’t actually tied to your bank accounts, so getting hacked is less likely to have an effect on your finances.
If you’re worried about protecting your finances online, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so safely.
