Safer Mobile Banking

More and more credit union members are embracing the “anywhere, anytime” convenience of mobile banking. But many are worried about the security of their data. Here are a few tips for safe banking while on the go.

For starters, these security concerns are very real: application security specialist Arxan found that 73% of the top free apps for Android users breached in 2013. GOBankingRates polled mobile bankers, and found that 37% are worried about identity theft. They should be.

But there are a few really simple things you can do to protect yourself:

Password protect your devices. Amazingly, fewer than half of all mobile banking users do this.
Make sure your connection is secure. Public WiFi connections are notoriously insecure, and are a magnet for data thieves.
Don’t follow links. Data thieves are big users of phishing to get your login information. If you receive an email that seems to come from your financial institution, don’t follow links to your account login screen. Instead, log in as you always do.

Mobile banking is here to stay, and credit union members couldn’t be more pleased. By all means take advantage of the convenient mobile options your CU is now offering. Just be sure you do your part to stay safe.