A smartphone is a very convenient device in multiple aspects. The possibility to check your current bank account status no matter where you are is one of the top features for many people these days. This is even truer when your online banking has advanced capabilities. These can include the possibility to perform transactions and set up recurring payments.
You need to be careful though – all this convenience does not come free of charge. Most of the apps you’re using for banking and similar purposes will not cost anything up front. However, you might still end up paying in unexpected ways. Security threats come in many shapes and sizes these days, and you need to know what you can expect. Using professional services, like a business VPN, can go a long way towards making your connections more secure.
Network Security
Banking on the go often means connecting to various random networks. Coffee shops, train stations, airports, libraries – you can connect to the internet pretty much anywhere in a big city. Most people only see this as a positive though, and they don’t think of the negative implications behind that situation. Your network traffic often passes through dozens of unsecured spots on a daily basis, and if you haven’t been hacked yet, it’s because you’re lucky.
A VPN (https://nordvpn.com/business-solutions/) can be a good way to prevent this from ever being an issue. Make sure that you use a high-quality service, like a reliable business VPN. The rest comes down to following appropriate security practices and staying away from suspicious sites and apps. Be wary when it comes to ads making promises that sound too good to be true. In most cases, they are.
Suspicious Apps
On that note, pay attention to what you’re installing on your phone. Your banking app itself might be fine, but what about that alarm clock which requested dozens of permissions for no reason when you installed it? You might not think much of those things, but it’s a real problem nowadays, and it’s growing in severity fast.
These are not even viruses – they are apps that collect more data than they should, and you agree to that yourself in most cases. Get your apps from legitimate sources only and pay attention to the kinds of permissions they request from you when you first launch them.
Viruses
On the other hand, some apps out there do contain actual viruses. A phone antivirus can go a long way toward ensuring that they don’t bother you, but it won’t stop everything. You should use some common sense when installing new things on your phone. Look them up online and see if others have experienced any issues with those applications.
Look into the profile of the developer as well. There are many suspicious signs to look out for. One example is previously published apps that have been delisted. Another bad sign is a lack of any information about their privacy policy. Legitimate companies know to cover these bases before they’ve even launched their first product on the market.
Deception
Pay attention to where you’re entering your data, and who you give it away to. The companies you have accounts with should never ask you for your passwords or other login credentials, for example. If you get any emails alerting you of an issue with your account, don’t click any links provided in them. Go to the website of the corresponding company yourself, to be sure that the message was genuine. If there is a real problem with your account, you should get a notification about it as soon as you log in.
If you get a phone call from anyone claiming to work for your bank or credit card company, treat the conversation with suspicion. Don’t give away any details about your accounts, and don’t agree to anything. If they claim to have a special deal available for you, ask that they send you a written message with additional information. That should give you some extra reassurance that the call is genuine.
Don’t treat your phone without the responsible attitude that it deserves. It can be a great device with many useful features, that’s true. But you have to be careful with how you utilize it and how much information you share through it. Keep your software up to date, don’t install suspicious apps, and always have an antivirus running. Whenever possible, get confirmation about any suspicious messages you’ve received from your bank. With time, you’ll start to get the hang of keeping your phone use on the safe side.