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Stay cyber safe this festive period

As 2017 draws to a close, it is important to be vigilant and stay cyber safe.


Johannesburg, 14 Dec 2017
Shailendra Harri, Business Development, CHM Vuwani.
Shailendra Harri, Business Development, CHM Vuwani.

At this time of year particularly, cyber criminals will use every opportunity to catch you off guard and target your confidential information so that they can access your bank account. The threats are manifold and include hacking, phishing (fake e-mails sent in an attempt to get sensitive information out of the user), vishing (social engineering over the phone), card fraud and even identity fraud. It can be overwhelming for the ordinary person, who may not even realise that some of these scams exist or when their personal information is vulnerable to being exposed.

Shailendra Harri, Business Development at CHM Vuwani, advises people to adhere to some basic safety precautions to keep their bank accounts safe this festive season. He says: "Whether you are physically at a bricks-and-mortar mall or doing your shopping online from the comfort of your couch, the concept of staying vigilant and safe is universal. You should always assume that will be a target for criminals, it will subconsciously make you more vigilant."

One of the primary ways to ensure that your private accounts remain just that, it to hack proof your password by using a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numerals and symbols. "The longer and more complicated the password, the better," says Harri. "Some people even recommend using a short sentence as a password."

Card fraud is at its highest levels during the festive period. Ensure you receive SMS notifications for all transactions processed on your accounts, no matter how small. Review these SMSes immediately upon receipt and query disputed transactions with your bank - and keep an eye out for duplicates transactions as this is a common occurrence.

When using your card to pay, swipe your own card instead of handing it over. This will help prevent card skimming fraud. Harri advises: "If you can't swipe your own card, then ensure your card is processed in front of you, don't allow the waiter or sales person to walk away with it. Make sure that your own card is returned to you."

When shopping online, only place orders using your bank card on a secure Web site. The site's URL should contain 'HTTPS' and 'Secure'.

Do not ever send personal information such as login and PIN details for your bank card via e-mail, SMS, Whatsapp or any other messaging platforms. Don't give these details to anyone over the phone, either, even if they do claim to be calling from your bank or telecommunications provider.

Never access a banking link sent to you via e-mail, rather type in the bank's Web address yourself. It may take you a few seconds longer but you'll be assured of entering the bank's secure Web site and not an imitation thereof designed to harvest your private login details.

Don't use free WiFi hotspots to log into your online banking account as you never can be sure of the security of the network provided. In a similar vein, never do Internet banking in public areas such as Internet cafes as the device might have software that can record your username and password information.

Ensure that your own devices have the latest anti-virus and spyware protection installed. Check for updates regularly and install them immediately to protect your device against malware. This includes your mobile phone. You should also consider installing a personal firewall on your PC.

All unsolicited SMSes, Whatsapp messages, e-mails and telephone calls should be regarded as suspicious. Cyber criminals will use any and every means at their disposal to get you to divulge personal information that will help them access your bank accounts. This also means that you should never click on links or attachments in unsolicited e-mails as they could result in malware being installed on your device that could give a cyber criminal access to your personal accounts.

"Be wary of free USB memory sticks, free CDs and DVDs as they could also contain software that could compromise your PC or laptop. Also SMSes, e-mails and any other form of messaging promising you money and high return on investments should be treated with suspicion," says Harri. If you're having problems with connectivity on your mobile phone, consider SIM swop fraud as the most likely cause. Mobile coverage these days should not result in loss of connectivity.

Having read all of these warnings around cyber safety, drawing cash may seem like the safer option, but, according to Harri, this is not the case. "Drawing large amounts of cash from an ATM is like putting a sign on your back that screams 'I have lots of money, please rob me'. Consider electronic payments or swiping your bank card instead of using physical cash. If you must draw cash, always check the ATM's card slots to check for skimming devices. If something doesn't look right, don't insert your card and PIN and use another ATM machine."

Businesses that need to deposit cash over the festive seasons should consider security services or drop safes. They should also avoid following a set routine, wherever possible, such as depositing the day's takings at 2pm every day, for example. Saving initiatives like stokvels are often based on cash deposits, but Harri recommends that participants consider safer electronic options to deposit their contributions.

"While the above list is exhaustive," says Harri, "consider pragmatism and logic in your approach to everyday life. If something sound too good to be true, it probably is and you should avoid it. Go with your gut feel. If it feels odd it generally is. Rather be safe than sorry."

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