Paying Online? Keep Your Money Safe! | Cleveland Bradley County Teachers Federal Credit Union

In the wake of the recent Equifax Data Breach, the team at Cleveland Bradley County Teachers Federal Credit Union wants to help you understand the steps that you can take to protect yourself when online.

Ensure Safe Online Payments

In today’s world, most payments and purchases occur over the Internet. The following are ways to help make online payments as safe and secure as possible.

First, be careful how you search the Internet. While this first tip doesn’t have anything to do with actually paying a bill online, your search habits could put you at risk when you do pay a bill or make a purchase online, especially when looking at product reviews. And, if you are looking to make any type of purchase or payment online, ensure the website is secure by looking for “https:” in front of the URL.

Second, create an email address that you only use for online shopping. Not only will this help prevent your current email from being overloaded with spam emails from various stores, but it will also help to prevent any potentially dangerous emails from attacking your most important email address.

Finally, while public Wi-Fi could be your data plan’s best friend, it can put you at risk of being hacked or having login and password information stolen when making a purchase or paying a bill online. Therefore, do not make financial transactions when on a public Wi-Fi. This rule also applies if you are using a public computer. Sometimes information is automatically saved when entered and you do not want your information to be available on a public forum that other people use.

Remember, while many places offer security when making payments online, it’s also important to take security into your own hands. These tips can help add some protection to your money when searching and/or buying online, especially with the holiday season around the corner.

To learn about the online services we offer, visit the Cleveland Bradley County Teachers Federal Credit Union website today!