Security
This content is provided to us by the Bundesverband deutscher Banken e.V. (Association of German Banks)(www.germanbanks.org)
Online banking: Security starts at home
For more and more Germans, online banking is becoming the norm. There are good reasons for it: Generally, financial transactions that are completed online are cheaper than transaction at the bank teller. However, customers are especially convinced by the fact that they can do their banking business from the comfort of their own home, 24 hours a day. Banks take extensive security measures and from their end, for example, protect transmission of confidential data over the internet.
The Association of German banks has collected various publications on security in online banking that you can order free of charge or download here. Some of these booklets are only available in German.
Working as a financial agent? Keep away from dubious offers!
Make money easily - who wouldn't want that? Recently, criminals have started addressing bank customers directly per e-mail or on web pages to attract them to working as so called financial agents: They ask the bank customer to accept payments onto his account and then transfer money to a person abroad by cash transaction, for which they are offered a commission that is deducted from the amount to be transferred. But be careful: The money transferred into the account of the "financial agent" is usually that of victims of fraud.
In order to warn about such criminal tricks, the Association of German Banks has provided booklet containing information and tips, entitled "Tätigkeit als Finanzagent? Finger weg von dubiosen Angeboten" (Working as a financial agent? Keep away from dubious offers! - only available in German).
Careful: phishing
However, everybody using online banking should also contribute to security by carefully following a few tips, since the banks have no influence on the security of the computers and programmes of each individual internet user.
Especially recently, the number of phishing reports has increased. Internet criminals ask the customer per e-mail to contact his credit institute. If the recipient follows the link provided in the e-mail, he does not reach his bank, but a fake website. That's how criminals hope to obtain confidential access data, such as PIN and TANs, for the online account.
You will find important information on dangerous e-mails, phishing and spyware in the booklet "Sicherheit im Internet" (Online Security - only available in German).
Check websites carefully
The general rule is: the customer should always double-check who he is dealing with. You should only reveal confidential information if you know for sure that the webpage is really that of your credit institute. For example, changes in the normal process of online banking should always make you suspicious.
If you are using online banking, you should only enter PIN and TANs when you are on the secure page of your bank. Among others, you will recognise this by your bank's internet address starting with "https://". In addition, you should check every time whether the internet address of you bank is correct in the address bar of your internet
browser
. Even the smallest differences can point to a fake website.
If you use online banking, the standard safety measures should always include updating your antivirus software and your personal firewall as well as always activating the security applications of your internet
browser
.
The Association of German banks has put together ten rules for online banking security in the booklet "Online Banking Security" (available in English). It includes a glossary with some of the most important online banking terms, such as Cookie, PIN, Trojan horse, Viruses.
The booklet "Security tips for using your bank card and PIN" includes useful tips and is available in English.
You can order or download the booklets of the Association of German Banks here.
