Keeping your Online Transactions Safe and Secure
Account hacking and online frauds have become quite prevalent in today’s world and people are losing money because of them. Phishing, viruses and cyber malware have become a common phenomenon across the internet, but we need to create a shield for ourselves to protect our hard earned money online.
Here are a few precautionary tips that we can follow: The first and foremost cautionary step would be to not use the public Wi-Fi or computer to make an electronic money transfer or online financial transaction. The public internet providers are low on security features than the private ones. Instead, make a transaction through your mobile data, if you are on the run!
Install Anti-Virus Applications
Before you explore any anonymous blog sitesinstall an anti-virus application on your computer, preferably one that is not free. Switch the app to an auto update mode. It either updates itself automatically or notifies the user, whenever an update is ready to be installed. Everyday your computer is exposed to new malware created online.
If your firewall is updated, it will deal with any kind of virus and inform you accordingly. Make sure that you always turn on your firewall, whether the computer is in use or not. Any websites that are suspicious for malware will be blocked by the firewall.
Fraudulent Texts and Emails
Various anonymous blog platformsare aiding in the malpractice of phishing and attempting harm your anonymity and to gain the personal information of people through rampant emailing and texting. You must have noticed that your email is flooded with emails claiming that you have won a jackpot or a certain amount of money.
It is not safe to open these kinds of emails, let alone replying to them. These spam emails should be identified and ignored and deleted from your email account at the earliest. Also, if you are using a third party payment method online, check for their digital certificates for credibility. There is usually a VeriSign on the windows of the website, wherein you can click and check for authentication.
Usage of Virtual Keyboard
If you are starting an anonymous blog, the viruses and malware can even track what you have typed from your keyboard. While making an online transaction, it is always advisable to use a virtual keyboard. Usually the login pages of banks give the option of using the virtual keyboard to their clients, it is best to use it for any kind of money transfer. Also turn on two-step verification on both your computer and phone devices. This means that any transaction that you make has to pass through two security walls on your device.
The two step verification may involve verifying your password first and then a fingerprint, before you are diverted to your bank’s website. When you reach your bank’s website, check if the lock symbol is present on the address bar or not and if ‘https: //’ is also displayed in green color.
Track your Web Expenditure
While browsing through even the best anonymous blog platform,make sure your computer is secure. Financially, you should always keep a track of how much online expenditure are you incurring every month and your bank balance thereof. Always dedicate one debit card or one credit card only for all the online transactions, so that you can keep a log easily. If you spot any suspicious activity on your card, inform your bank immediately.
The best way to browse online these days is through private browsing. If you are browsing privately, your browsing history is not created, your passwords are not saved and all the cache data and cookies are cleared from your operating device.
Password Protection
If you know where to find anonymous blog postsyou could be on dangerous grounds. Start by protecting your password, by not sharing it with anyone, even your family members. If you have written your password somewhere, make sure you keep it safely, in fact do not write it down at all. Keep changing your password every quarterly.
Avoid using the same password for all your accounts. While it becomes easy for you to remember, if one of your accounts is hacked, the others become extremely vulnerable to malpractice all at once. Do not allow the browsers to save any of your passwords and try to make them difficult to guess. If it’s a long password with characters, symbols, mixed with alphabets and numbers or the letters are capitalized, your password remains safe and secure.
Do not leave your device logged onto a financial account. Most of the banks have an auto log out window, if there is inactivity on the account for too long, but it is safer for the user to log out by him/her. Since the dependency on the internet is increasing, it is important for us to be careful while transacting online.