You’re worried about your banking information falling into the wrong hands. You don’t want to wake up one day, open up your online banking app and realize that someone has used your account to make a slew of unauthorized charges. 

So, how can you be sure that your account is secure? These are some tips to boost your account’s security.

Configure Alerts for Your Phone

Your banking app might offer a feature called “mobile alerts.” Mobile alerts can notify you when something potentially suspicious occurs with your bank account, which could warn you if you’ve become a victim of identity theft. The early warning will help you react to the emergency right away so that you can notify your bank, prevent unauthorized transactions and minimize your losses.

One useful mobile alert is the “unusual account activity alert.” This alert could trigger when your account processes a larger-than-ordinary purchase or a purchase made in an international location far from your current destination. 

These are some other mobile alerts that you could set up:

• Large purchase alert
• Large ATM withdrawal alert
• Profile change alert

Make a Secure Password

Creating a strong password is important to protect yourself from identity theft. If you use a weak password, you’re not setting up a very strong defense against hackers. Your account could be very easy to break into. 

What makes a strong password? It should include the following characteristics:

• 12-14 characters in total
• Uppercase and lowercase characters
• Numbers
• Symbols (!@$&)

Employ Two-Way Verification.

In order to enter into their bank account using two-way authentication, customers must first generate a password and then validate their login through a second step. Usually, a confirmation text message, email, or notice with a login code is sent in this second phase.

Adding two-way authentication to your account can improve its cybersecurity.

Switch off the bank card.

You may be able to utilize your mobile app to prevent your bank card from being used for unlawful purchases if it is ever lost or stolen. Use the smartphone app to “turn off” the device so that a stranger cannot access it going forward. Next, get in touch with your bank to let them know what’s happened and make arrangements for a new card.

As soon as you realize the card is gone, you should take this action. Why? Your responsibility for unapproved debit purchases is $50 under federal law. However, you can only obtain this minimal responsibility amount if you disclose the fraud to the authorities within two working days of becoming aware of the purchases. Waiting more than sixty days may result in an increase in that obligation amount.

Employ a VPN

Even though you may bank whenever and wherever you want using mobile banking applications, you shouldn’t use them when using public Wi-Fi. Security is not provided by public Wi-Fi. You put yourself at risk of hackers accessing your most private data if you use it for banking.

Banking is something you should only conduct over a private connection. Consider purchasing a virtual private network (VPN) if you ever wish to do banking remotely. This can safeguard your private data.

First, conduct research.

Before providing a website with your personal banking information, always conduct research. It is important to confirm that the website is authentic, reliable, and, above all, safe from online attacks.

For example, you could want to apply for an online loan later on. When you have an unexpected need and don’t have enough cash in your savings account to cover it all at once, an internet loan may be a helpful option. You may be wondering if applying for loans online is safe. The financial institution providing them will determine this.

Spend some time investigating the institution’s web reputation. To be safe, find out if your personal data is encrypted. Examine the Terms & Conditions, the FAQs,

Your bank account should function as an unbreakable safe. Utilize these suggestions to increase its security!