Banking online can be a fantastic way to save you time and even money.  Most large banks now offer online banking or online account access, and for the most daring: some banks are only available online.  With the latest in web safety, these sites are heavily encrypted and designed to be hack-proof.  The largest cause of accounts being hacked into actually falls upon the account holders.  There are several simple steps that can be taken to avoid your account, money, and personal information being put at risk.  Some may seem simple, but it is better to be safe!

1) Never give out your username or password.  Your bank will not ask you for your password or even username.  They already have it.  They will not lose it, and only a very select group of employees can even access it.  If you think you need to address this issue, call them at the number your normally call, do not take the phone number off an email or a website, look in the phone book or just stop in at your local branch.

2) If you access your accounts from more than one computer, be sure that computers used by others have up-to-date antivirus software.  You should also make sure that the machine is running an up to date browser that can support the standard 128-bit encryption used by most secure websites.  When you are done, always be sure to log off and even clear the Auto complete bar also, it can make it too easy for someone to log in and guess your password.