With the holiday season coming upon us, permanent tsb would like to provide some quick useful tips to safeguard you and your families against the threat of fraud.
Many of us will be purchasing goods online from the comfort of our own homes. While this may be convenient there are associated risks Shopping Online.
Stay safe during the holiday season by
- Practice safe shopping. Stick to reputable e-commerce sites and look for a Trustmark that indicates that the site has been verified as safe by a trusted third party. Also look for a symbol and the “https” at the beginning of the URL to see if the site uses encryption to protect your data.
- Care when clicking. Don’t click on any links in messages from people you don’t know and take care when clicking on links from people you do know as Criminals regularly hack Social Media and e-mail accounts.
- Look closely at webpages and content when using your mobile phone to shop or browse the internet.
- Read all messages and T&C’s carefully. Don’t share or enter your 3DSecure details or the 3 numbers of your PAN until you are sure you understand what transactions you are authorising. Criminals are currently targeting customers with fake SMS texts purporting to be from Banks and ending up in previously received legitimate Bank sent message threads.
- Be wary of phoney e-tailers who will try and lure you into typing in your credit card and personal details by promoting great deals. You may also never receive the goods requested.
- Be suspicious of any offer that sounds too good to be true (holidays, high value goods etc.). Always look for signs that an e-mail or website may not be legitimate, such as bad spelling, poor grammar, odd links or low resolution images. In particular be wary of free draw offers, free gifts in exchange for handing over personal details.
- Look out for Bogus ‘Gift Cards’, which may be offered. Always buy direct from the retailer.
- Watch out for E-cards that may contain spyware or viruses that download onto your computer once you click on the greeting.
- Be careful when downloading mobile apps, as you could download a malicious app designed to steal your information
- Ensure you use a comprehensive security on all your devices including Smartphones and have up to date security software to safeguard your privacy, protect against identity theft and defend against viruses and online threats.
General usage of bank cards
We are using cards to transact more than ever. However,
- You should never let your card out of your sight when paying for goods.
- Avoid using the internet in public places, like internet cafes for your online banking.
- Under no circumstances should you divulge your PIN or passwords to any third party.
- Always use a machine in a well-lit busy area and check that there are no suspicious devices attached.
- When inputting your personal identification number (PIN), always cover the device into which you are typing your pin and be aware of people in your vicinity who may attempt to see your pin being input.
Find out more information on protecting yourself against fraud.
The Banking Payments Federation of Ireland in conjunction with the Banking Sector a Fraud Awareness website, FraudSMART. There is a facility for members of the public to register to receive up to date fraud alerts. In addition they have Facebook and Twitter pages.
We would encourage everyone to log on, like, share and re-tweet and help us to make family, friends and customers fraud aware.
