We move a lot of money online. Shopping, bills, banking, all of it. No habit makes you completely safe, but these nine get you close. Work through them and you've closed the gaps most thieves rely on.
Shop only on secure sites
Before you type in a card number, check the address bar for https://. If it isn't there at checkout, don't pay.
Don't bank on public Wi-Fi
Free or shared Wi-Fi is fine for reading the news. It is not fine for anything involving money. You can't tell who else is watching the connection, so leave the transactions for a network you trust.
Lock down the device you bank from
Run a firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware on the computer you use for financial transactions.
Turn on banking alerts
Ask your bank to text or email you about large or unusual transactions. The sooner you spot fraud, the easier it is to stop.
Pay with credit, not debit
Most credit cards offer better fraud protection. And when someone drains a debit card, the cash is already gone from your bank account. With a credit card, you're disputing a charge, not chasing your own money.
Use long, hard-to-guess passwords
Build them from phrase acronyms and keyboard combinations. Never reuse a password on a financial account, and never base one on a dictionary word.
Never trust a link in a bank email
Criminals are good at making an email look like it came from your bank. Don't reply, and don't click the link to log in. Open a browser and type the bank's address yourself.
Install security updates everywhere
A lot of attacks target known holes that a patch already fixed. Keep your computer, phone, and tablet up to date and you close those doors before anyone walks through.
Read your statements
Alerts catch the big stuff. A regular look at your balances and a scan down the transaction list catches the small charges that slip past everything else.