Topic: How safe is internet banking??

[zephra]

How safe is internet banking??

[Sandra]

As long as the address starts with HTTPS://  and you can see the yellow padlock symbol at the bottom right hand corner of the window then its supposed to be safe.
I have been using internet banking for the last 2 to 3 years and havent had a problem so far.
I do as much as possible including transferring to and from accounts, paying my visa and other bills and friends have transferred to my accounts and me to theirs through internet banking too.
I havent been into an actual bank for over 12 months now so for me its much better than trying to find somewhere to park the car and then queuing, why is the next queue always so much faster than the one that I pick to join  :roll:

[Simon]

I concur with Sandra.  I have been banking online with the Halifax for 2-3 years, and have never had a problem.  The only time I need to visit my bank in person, is to pay in a cheque (or cash).  The only thing I would suggest which could improve the Halifax online service, is to introduce the facility to make 'one-off' bank transfers, rather than having to set up a 'bill payment', which then remains on the system for a year.

[sam]

I've also been using internet banking for about the same period of times (with Barclays) and no problems here. I did, however have one problem with fraud, which we don't know how they got my card details but Barclays called me within 24hours to confirm what they thought was a dodgy transaction to a website - can't moan at that really.

[Simon]

Oh yes, I had a fraudulant transaction on my credit card about 3 years ago, for £252 to a company in some place I'd never even heard of, let alone been to, or dealt with on Tinternet.  That was also the Halifax, as I only had the one card then, and they immediately refunded my account.  No complaints here either.

[Sandra]

Card details can be got from a lot of different places, restaurants, petrol stations and supermarkets etc.
How many times do people pay for something by credit card over the phone without any hesitation but refused to pay by the same card on line  :roll:
I have a friend who regularly asks me to order things for him online as he doesnt think its safe to use his own but he knows that I use mine without worrying about it  :?

[sam]

i hate using my card over the phone, id much rather trust an online system.

[davy51]

I agree sam

online is much more secure
i never order anything over a phone line

[Lona]

I agree internet banking is great and time saving.

I have various internet bank accounts and the only problem I have had to date was with Paypal.  Somebody took my payment and then closed his Paypal account and never sent the goods, however my credit card company managed to recover payment from Paypal for me.  I was lucky that it was a credit card payment and not money which was lodged with Paypal.  I try never to leave any actual monies in my paypal account.  

[zephra]

You have made me feel much safer.I have been putting off internet banking for years.Im not sure how it is in england but here in the usa we have 100,000 coverage insurance but i have noticed banks put the security on you i.e firewall virus which is ok but when does it stop.Say your account is hacked and the bank comes back and does not like your firewall.My bank uses https ssl does that security that they use put the blame on them if it is breached?
               Thanks so much!!!!!!!

[Sandra]

Using ssl means that all the data that you send to the site and they to you is encrypted, usually as 128 bit or 256 bit.
This is the same level as the miltary use, I think.
You are much more likely to get your cheque book stolen along with your bank card and credit cards I should think than for anyone to access your online account.

I do have a very clever little program called Win Spy that can be installed on a pc without the owner knowing its there, which would allow me to log all your key strokes and also take screenshots at whatever interval I wanted to set it at.
A friend once said that the way his bank had set up on line banking, Barclays I think it was, that his account was safe as it didnt ask you to type in the second and fith letter etc of your password but had you click on a drop down menu instead.
With his permission of course, I installed winspy and left the room and asked him to log in and then out again.
5 minutes later I was logged in on his account  

I needed access to his pc to install the program but I suppose it may be possible remotely but youd be very unlucky to get caught if you kept your firewall secure and your AV up to date  

[Simon]

Well, we are obviously talking about UK banks, so you would need to check out the terms and conditions of online banking with your own bank, and clarify what liabilities they accept if something goes wrong, and how much protection you have.

[davy51]

most american banks will cover any loses less the first $50

my bank covers a 100%

ive never had a problem that wasnt fixed within 12 hours