Net Banking has become steadily popular over the past few years. People are using it to shop online, to book rail and air tickets and transfer money across cities and countries. But simultaneously with the increase in the use of net banking the incidents of cyber crimes also have registered a continuous growth. Many times money is transferred illegally from the bank accounts without the knowledge and permission of the owner.

Net Banking is a facility on the internet to operate one’s account. To use this facility the customers arrive at the website of the bank where they have got their accounts. By entering a Username and Password they can access their own account and by using yet another password can transfer money in or out of that account. But before using Net Banking it is always necessary to read all the instructions of that particular bank. Guidelines of all banks are not similar and there are minute but important differences. Therefore, it is necessary to read them carefully.

Many people consider the Net Banking like the normal banking. But no, it is very different and one needs to be extra careful. It is necessary to check your internet banking account at regular intervals. The intervals can be every two or three days or at the most one or two weeks. If you do not check your account for a long time, you may not come to know of what is happening to it. If you find any discrepancy, inform the bank authorities at once.

Please note that the banks do not consider them responsible for any thing happening to your account as a result of the activities of the unauthorized operators who are called hackers. Moreover, no insurance is available in this regard. The Banks say that appropriate upgradations are carried out from time to time by their IT departments for risk mitigation. They also issue instructions to the customers to manage their accounts through virtual key boards by way of which the characters typed by them are not identified by the hackers. Many banks send their account holders SMSs regarding any activity taking place at their account. SMS alerts are also an important tool since any transaction carried out on account is reported to the account holder through as SMS.

If you use any website for the purpose of shopping or transferring money, first make inquiries about the reliability of that website. This information can be had from seeing the internet address of the web site or by asking from any computer expert. Make sure that you write down the internet address of that particular site correctly.

Make sure that you use your own computer or lap top for the Net Banking purposes. Never use cyber cafes for net banking. If you had to use some other computer for the purpose of Net Banking, change your password immediately. Moreover, never forget to log out the site you used for Net Banking.

All this care is necessary because the internet frauds are increasing at an alarming rates. In the internet terminology these frauds are known as ‘Phishing’. In phishing, a person’s personal details are obtained by fraudsters posing as bankers, who float a site similar to that of the person’s bank. The customers are asked to provide all personal information about themselves and their account to that website on the pretext of databases upgradation. The number and password are then used to carry out transactions on their behalf without their knowledge. Regular e-mail users might have already noticed subjects or mails with messages such as:" Verify your account", " You have won the lottery ", " if you don’t respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed, " security advisory", " 2008 – A Category results" and the like. You could even receive an e mail purportedly from your bank, software vendor, or an online portal asking you to update your credit card information. Never respond to such mails and call your bank or vendor to make sure they have asked this information. Make one rule, never respond to such e mails.

Sometimes, the fraudsters indulge in hacking in which personal data is stolen through hacking. Hacking is an act in which the cyber criminal steals information stored or transacted in any computer. Sometimes. A spy ware is installed in the computer to steal the information and gain access to all files. The hacker gets in to the system with the help of spyware and steals information. The hacker is always on the lookout for unsecured systems and files. The spyware usually comes in the form of a virus. This spy transports all files pertaining to bank accounts to the hacker. Therefore, it is advisable not to store much information about your accounts on your computer or e mail which is unsecured. Generally , an accepted method of keeping the hackers at bay is frequently changing passwords. This however is not enough. One should make sure that the net connection is secure. Unsecure Wifi and broadband connections can be misused by professional hackers to obtain confidential details regarding an account. The best way is to operate your account at home or on a personal computer.

There are a few other things you can do. Get the latest version of the Antivirus and Internet security suite. Please don’t buy a pirated CD. The anti virus soft wares have the anti – phishing filters built in. Moreover, get the latest version of the Internet Explorer and Firefox. Both have an internal anti – phishing engine built in to alert you when you are on a site that steals data.

In short, it is always advisable to use the following precautions while using Internet for any kind of transaction involving money.

• Net Banking has become steadily popular over the past few years.

• But simultaneously with the increase in the use of net banking the incidents of cyber crimes also have registered a continuous growth.

• Use your home computer or lap top for the Net Banking.

• Never use cyber café for the Net Banking.

• Put password on your computer as well and also the screen saver password.

• Check your account regularly.

• Install a good fire wall in your computer. It would make hacking difficult.

• Always log out after using net banking.

• Never reveal password to anyone. Do not even write it on a piece of paper or diary. Just memorize it. It should be alphanumeric. Change it frequently.

• Never reply to queries from bank online about account or personal details.

• The personal information should not be kept in a public computer or in e-mails.

• Before using Net Banking it is necessary to read all the instruction of the bank.

• Use the SMS alerts facility of the bank as any transaction carried out on the account is reported to the account holder through SMS.

• If you use any website for the purpose of shopping or transferring money, first make inquiries about the reliability of that website. ( The End)

By: Iqbal Amrohi