Saturday, February 18, 2012

ABSA Internet Banking Is Safe and Secure

The ABSA (Amalgamated Bank of South Africa) Bank is the South Africa's largest financial service provider. It provides the most competitive, efficient and fast products and services not only for personal customers but also for corporate and commercial customers.
The bank provides variety of features and benefits. ABSA internet banking services are availed by the customers to pay online bills, check account status, transaction history, apply for loans, take print of transactions, transfer accounts from and to your own accounts or other bank accounts, monitor any suspicious behavior related to account, personalize their settings, and much more.
ABSA is a Barclays Group member bank headquartered in South Africa. The best feature of ABSA net banking is you can complete all your banking transaction successfully sitting at your own home without moving an inch. To go for net banking services all you need to do is complete an application form and submit it in nearby branch. The user is given a unique login id and password through which he can access the web page of the bank and avail all the net banking facilities of the bank.You must also change your password at regular intervals by following the instruction provided in the bank's website for secure and safe transaction. Never write down your pin number anywhere for safety reasons. Always memorize your pin number to have a safe and secure banking experience. There are many fraud email messages which asks for your banking details. Never fall prey to such fraudsters.

Online Security And Internet Banking

Internet banking is very common nowadays. Most banks are offering internet banking for customers so that they can manage their funds online. It is important that you choose a bank that offers safe internet banking. The bank should use 128 bit encryption system to protect the online banking. The 128 bit encryption offers the best level of protection for transactions that take places on the internet. If the bank doesn't have 128 bit encryption, you should not sign up for an account with them. You can see whether the internet banking system is protected with 128 bit encryption by checking the internet address bar for the HTTPS sign. The HTTPS sign will appear if the online banking site is protected with a SSL certificate. The SSL certificate is issued by a third-party certification authority. With the SSL certificate, your transaction will be protected by a warranty coverage in case something happens. Another sign that shows the website is secure is the padlock symbol. The log in process should request information such as username and password. Some banks will request the customers for the username.
Besides, the online baking system should be protected with a firewall protection software. The firewall protection software prevents unauthorized people from accessing the system. Before you sign up with a bank, you should ask them how their internet banking system is protected. From time to time, you will get scam emails from third parties. You should avoid responding to emails that ask for personal security information. The customer access code, username and password must not be revealed to other people. You should be the only person that has knowledge about this information. Many scam emails often ask you to do something for them so that they can have access to a large amount of U.S. dollar deposits that is in the account of people who have recently deceased. The scam email may also claim that it has a huge U.S. dollar contract which is due for payment in the rear future. It is your responsibility to pay attention to the scam emails. The bank will not be held liable to the loss if you respond to the scam email. The best course of action is to disregard the senders of the scam solicitation emails.

An Overview of Internet Banking

Internet banking, also known as online banking, has changed the way banking business is conducted around the world. Banking transactions can be executed anytime from anywhere. One can check account balances, apply for time deposits, and avail other banking services while sitting at home or at workplace. Unlike before where people had to jostle for time to visit a bank, now they simply need a computer to carry out their regular banking transactions.
Online banking has also given an impetus to e-commerce. The banking industry in association with the government, have formulated a set of regulations and laws that curb online fraudulent practices. Moreover, utmost confidentiality is maintained in deciding and allocating pin codes and login ids of online banking and instruments like debit and credit cards. Banks have also made it mandatory for customers to take relevant security measures to protect their online bank accounts. For instance, it is compulsory for the customers to change their login details on fortnightly or monthly basis. All these initiatives together have instilled faith and confidence in people to transact via the Internet.
People are now increasingly carrying out online buying and selling transactions predominantly in the areas of services. For instance, online booking of movie tickets is a common feature. During special days like Valentine's Day and Diwali, greeting cards and bouquets' websites witness maximum visitors load wanting to send online greetings and register for bouquet delivery at a particular address in advance. All this has been possible due to secure and fast internet banking.
To make online banking safer, you can also take measures, like installing an anti-virus and a firewall, to secure your personal computer from hacking. This is because hackers generally find it easier to access a personal home computer rather than breaching a highly-secured banking computer.
Internet banking was introduced in the 1980s but it only gained momentum in the 1990s. The banking customers initially began using online services for simple transactions like checking account balances and electronic funds transfer. To encourage more participation, banks initially provided the services free of charge and also conducted training programs to guide people on how to use internet banking. In India, ICICI bank was the first institution to launch it under the name of 'Infinity.'

Traditional Banking Vs Online Banking

Internet banking works in a similar manner to traditional banking, the major difference being the way one is making payments, accessing his account and personal details, and reconciling statements. Rather than visiting the local branch of his bank, the customer uses his computer to complete transactions. Internet and traditional banking have their pros and cons to consider. The choice of online vs. brick-and-mortar banking is often based on one's lifestyle and priorities.
As a major advantage of internet banking, the customer can accomplish multiple tasks in the comfort of his home. Efficiency is what makes online banking attractive to customers: they can pay bills, move money between different accounts, check multiple accounts, and much more. Banking is fast and saves customers valuable time. Transactions are completed in seconds and one can print out the receipts for his personal records. The customer may access his account at any given part of the day, even during weekends and holidays. Moreover, the online account may be accessed from any place around the world, provided that internet connection is available.
Online bank accounts make banking expedient, convenient, and inexpensive. Many banks charge fewer fees for the online banking services they offer. Furthermore, banks have higher interest rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposit, and offer more financial services and products. Customers don't need to buy envelopes and stamps, run to the post office at the last minute, and risk being late on their payments. Monthly bank statements and bills can be accessed electronically. Finally, online banking employs sophisticated tools that help manage one's money and accounts with ease. Despite increased security measures and the availability of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, identity theft is still a concern. Other threats associated with online banking include phishing and hacking of online accounts.

Tips For Safe Internet Banking - 5 Tips to Protect Your Online Banking Account

In the UK alone there are 21 million people using online banking. It is convenient and most transactions are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The burning question is - is it safe?
Thieves can access your online account details in mainly two ways. The phishing scam and password theft.
Phishing is sending an email with a link to a fake website that looks like your banks website and password theft is undertaken by getting you to install key logging software that records every stroke of you keyboard and sends the details remotely.
My bank account was subject to fraud not so long ago and it turned out I had been scammed via a fake website. It was my bank that discovered it and offered some excellent advice on how to protect my online banking activity.
How to Bank Safely Online
There are several steps you can take to ensure the safety of your online bank account.
1. Protect your computer with good security software. Most banks now offer this for free.
2. Never give your login details to anyone especially not by phone or email.
3. Never click on a link in an email that is supposedly from your bank.
4. Avoid using public computers to access your online bank account.
5. Check that the padlock symbol is present in your browser before entering any account details.
These are my top tips summarised from the advice I got from my bank. Although these may sound like common sense it is all too easy to forget a simple thing like logging out properly after using a public computer or checking that the web address begins with https meaning a secure connection.

Online Banking - History Still in the Making?

A very famous cash management tool that banks now use is their online banking access. Some call it internet banking, online banking or other catchy names but basically, it allows clients of banks to access their account online, view their balance, check the history of their account, pay bills, transfer funds and other actions previously available only if you physically visit a branch of your bank. Online banking saves time, effort, gas, parking fees and it lets you avoid traffic rush hours. More and more banks are now moving towards having this tool and it is gaining popularity faster than the earlier version of a similar tool, which was telephone banking. But how did internet banking start? Here is a brief online banking history.
It is believed that online banking began in 1995. It was October 6 and Presidential Savings Bank offered an alternative to the usual branch banking by offering an online access of bank services. This opened the gates for banks solely existing in the internet and allowed other physical banks to join in. Nowadays, it is rare to see huge banks that offer no online banking services as more and more people get connected to the web. There are also more and more banks that advertise on the web and there are now a huge number of web domains owned by banks. This is basically the start of the online banking history.
Today, 30 banks in the US exist only in cyberspace and their depositors grow exponentially due to the fact that they are virtually accessible 24/7 and they are hassle free. There are several types of people who avail of online banking services. There are those that see it as a toll that they can use but do not really explore what else they can do with it aside from balance checking and bills payments. For other transactions, they would rather go straight to the source. Then, there are those that are avid internet users, mostly those that make a living or spend half of their day connected to the web. These are actually so dependent on online banking that if a bank does not offer this service, they won't even consider that bank.

Your Internet Banking Account Is Not Safe - Know Why?

With the increased use of internet users and the increased need to banking needs, more and more people are using internet banking facilities to transfer money, recharge their mobile prepaid balance or shopping online, but most of them are not aware of the risk in using internet banking facility.
Here are few must know Internet Banking Safety Tips to safely access you net-banking account and keep it secured from possible phishing or fraud attack.
First of all let me explain what the phishing attack is and how online hackers and frauds are trying hard to steal your money from your net-banking account.
If you receive any email from your bank with subject line something like
  • Dear user, security system upgraded.
  • You account is terminated. Please take an action to reactivate it.
  • You account is disabled. Please take an action to re activate it.
  • Please take some time to move your account in latest upgraded security system to protect your account.
Generally these emails will contain link to their fraud site and you will never come to know that you have become the victim of phishing attack as the fraud site will be the identical copy of your bank's website in look and behavior. They will ask for your user id first and will show some kind of process and then they will ask for other details like passwords and personal details. You must stop there as no bank will ask for your password or personal details this way.
How to verify that you are on your bank's website and not on phishing website?
You can verify this by looking at the address bar of your internet browser. You must know the exact url of your bank site, for example if it is onlinesbi.com than sbionline.com (just example) might be the phishing attacker's website. You can also verify the internet banking website from their SSL (Secured Sockets Layer) certificate, which will be highlighted near the starting of address bar in browser.

Advantages Of Understanding How Internet Banking For Business Works

Banking online can be one of the best ideas you can initiate in running your business. Though manual banking is time consuming and costly, you will not have to worry about this anymore, because you will have enough time and space to carry out your tasks. In addition, it is available twenty-four hours, meaning you can acquire information about your account without having to visit the nearest bank. Having noted this, here are some benefits you should know concerning how internet banking for business works.
If you do not like queuing up in lines, then this option is the best for you. You will only need to deposit your money at the bank's ATM and then proceed to check your account status online. Remember that in doing this you will be relieved of fatigue that waiting for long while standing can bring.
You may be operating a business with separate bank accounts making it very difficult to make a trip to both banks. However, with this internet banking, you will transfer any amount between the two accounts from the comfort of either your home or business premises. Besides, if you have a credit card you can use it without any hassle.
In case, you have numerous investments that you need to check on regularly, then this is made easy. This is because this can be done any time you wish, whether you want to check your current balance in your money market or stocks. You can also find out the interest paid on your investments without the need to make any phone calls.
This method also gives you the chance to look at your business efficiency. This is because your daily operations will be made easy if you have all the information you need in one place. You may also need to check the amount that you have in your credit cards. Most importantly, you can even download all your transactions details to your computer for further analysis.

Internet Banking - How to Keep Safe While Banking Online

Anyone who is, or would like to use internet banking is probably concerned about safety. And, with good reason. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world right now.
Statistics show that 1 in 10 people will have their identity stolen at some point in their life. And internet banking is one way these dirt bags use to get your information.
More and more people are taking the plunge into internet banking. It is handy and fast. And, for anyone who is living abroad, it is almost a necessity.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to protect your privacy and use internet banking safely.
The first requirement of safe internet banking is to ensure your banking intuition uses a secure system. They should be using an SSL connection and 128 bit encryption.
If they require 128 bit encryption, they will tell you in your banking documents, so it is easy to determine. It is even easier to ensure that they are using SSL encryption. When you go to your banking site, look in the address bar of your browser. The address of your account should be preceded with "https". Not "http". In addition, you should have a small picture of a closed padlock either in your address bar, or your status bar.

Knowing The Convenience And Importance Of Online Banking

For many reasons, people will want to know about the convenience and importance of online banking. Online banking is something which allows people to remotely access the information in their account so that they are able to basically bank at any time. This allows for twenty-four-hour banking and is incredibly convenient for a number of different reasons.
In a lot of countries, banks tend to open during certain hours. This is normally during the day. Sometimes it will only be from nine o'clock in the morning until four PM in the afternoon. For many people who are working regular office hours, this can be a pain. This is especially true if they have to organize transfers in order to pay for their gas, electricity or their rent.
By having an online banking account, one will be able to do this any time of the day. If one needs to have money taken from a savings into a current account, then this will be possible. Usually there will be a series of security codes which a person has to use in order to access all of their information. The money can then be transferred so that they are able to take it out at an ATM.
A lot of banks and financial institutions will allow for people to use an online banking facility, although usually one will have to apply for this. It is going to depend entirely on the institution with which one is affiliated. If one wants to have access to a facility of this nature, then it is important to contact the institution and ask them what options are available.

Business Internet Banking - A Fundamental Requirement For Your Business

In this internet era when everything can be done online, banking is no exception to it. In fact, it is the one sector that has made remarkable advancement in this area. Now you can do anything and everything with your online event from anywhere and at anytime. You have 24×7 access of your bank account. The advantages of internet banking for personal as well as business requirements are obvious. Business internet banking is a fundamental requirement to start, grow, and manage your business. It is very crucial to offer internet banking services to your clients as it adds to their convenience. If you're still thinking on shifting to online business banking, it's high time that you just join the tide.
In today's competitive times, getting the right business internet banking services plays a crucial role in your business success. If you're a small business owner, looking for a bank, financial institution, or credit union partner can sometimes be very frustrating. For small business owners, it is quite difficult to find a bank that can finance your operations as and when you need. Locating in a small town or far-flung area simply adds insult to the injury. In such a scenario, online business banking services can actually solve your problem and help you in getting required finance to grow and manage your business.

Let The St George Internet Banking Service Come Marching In

With the internet and a boom in the use and ownership of computers, laptops and smart phones the banking industry has gone out of their way to take advantage of this technology while at the same time incorporating their banking services into one package. Gone are the days of sending your payments in the mail where there is a chance it can get lost or arrive late due to unforeseen delays in the delivery.
Internet banking or online banking incorporates computer technology with the internet to give consumers such as yourself the ability to bypass those time consuming aspects of traditional brick-and-mortar banking.
With the St.George internet banking service you are able to get complete control of your financial accounts with the convenience of being able to transact banking business at any time and from anywhere you have internet access - dress code optional. What this means is that you can check balances, transfer funds or pay your bills even if you're a couple of hundred miles away and you don't have to worry about postage.
If you're an environmentalist then you're going to love this feature of the St.George internet banking service - electronic statements. Instead of getting a paper statement in the mail you get an email alert whenever an electronic statement is ready for you to view. And because it's posted instantaneously you don't have to wait for it to arrive like you would a paper statement. And it's good for the environment too because no paper is used so no trees were cut down for it.

Advantages of Internet Banking

Today, internet banking has become a popular method to manage one's money and finances. When using internet banking accounts, more consumers now feel empowered to take control of their money. Internet banking, or banking by way of the Internet, offers numerous advantages for banks and consumers.
The following is a list of the advantages of internet banking:
Easy to Set-Up: It is easy and fast to set up an internet bank account. All that users have to do to create an online bank account is complete a short form and then set the security features such as a password and username. Finally, they just print and sign a form and send it in to the bank.
Fewer Costs: There are fewer costs associated with internet banking because online banks do not have the overhead like traditional banks. Because there are fewer costs, internet banks pass the savings on to consumers such as reduced service charges and increased interest rates for savings accounts. They can even offer reduced lending rates for their loans.
Easy and Convenient online Bank Comparison: It is easy to research many internet banks online allowing you to compare such features as interest rates, available credit cards and their interest rates, FDIC bank rating, and terms and interest rates of their loans. You can then pick the best internet bank that meets your needs.
Easy Bank Account Monitoring: You can track your internet banking and money 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can track such things as deposits, clearing of checks, and your account balance. It allows you to keep your account from going into the negative.