Follow these banking safety tips to protect your money especially if you do online transactions or access your bank account via mobile app or internet banking.
Banking Safety Tip No 1: PROTECT CONFIDENTIAL INFO
Always remember that a bank will never ask you via EMAIL, CHAT SUPPORT, or CALL SUPPORT about confidential information such as your ATM PIN, email password, and CVV / CVC to log in to your online account, or to identify yourself.
In order to validate your identity, a bank staff that you will speak with on the a phone may ask you the atm card number on the front of the card and your account number but they will not ask what is the 3 digit numbers at the back of your atm card.
Remember that anyone in possession of your Mastercard or Visa powered atm debit card, who knows the expiry date of your atm card, the numbers in the front of the atm card and the number in the back (3-digits) may already use your card to buy and pay things online (unless you activate a second factor authentication, like in BDO which requires a PIN number to process an online transaction).
This is the usual location of the 3-digits number of atm cards, our sample shows atm debit card of BDO and Unionbank.
Banking Safety Tip No 2: CHECK THE DETAILS OF YOUR LAST LOG-ON AND PASSWORD
Make sure to regularly scan the history log for any logins or password changes that you did not initiate. Some banks, like BPI, gives a history of logins and password changes made on the online account. In BDO and UnionBank, you can see the “last login” details indicated clearly as you succesfully access your online banking accounts.
If you find anything suspicious with the logins or password changes history, call your bank right away and report it.
Banking Safety Tip No 3: REVIEW YOUR BANK STATEMENTS
It is good practice to access your online statements and check the entries on your passbook regularly, so that so you can closely monitor the transactions made for your account. iSensey recommends that you enroll in Electronic Statements (eSOA) so wherever you are, you can easily track your deposit, credit card, as well as investment accounts.
If you see a suspicious entry, like a debit you know nothing about, call your bank and report the case.
Banking Safety Tip No 4: OPT TO RECEIVE SMS or EMAIL ALERTS
Most banks now offers SMS or EMAIL ALERTS features to their clients for various banking transactions. We recommend that you check with your bank if they offer txt alert or email alert for the following:
Account login via online or mobile banking (the bank will send you a txt or email if someone is trying to login or has succesfully login to your online account or mobile app)
ATM withdrawal (the bank will send you a txt or email every time a withdrawal is made using your atm card)
Online transaction verification (the bank will send you a txt or email containing a code that is needed to complete an online transaction)
Banking Safety Tip No 5: BE ALERT ABOUT EMAIL SCAMS and PHISHING SCAMS
Be suspicious right away when you receive emails that start with generic greetings like “Dear Valued Customer” and claim to be from a legitimate company or from the bank itself. Some of these emails may even give you a link that you must click and when you open the website, it looks similar to the official website of the bank. Then it will ask you to enter your personal details. Don’t do it!!! The bank will never ask you to update your personal information and details via an email link. This modus is called a phishing scam. Just last December 2017 someone was arrested for phishing scams.
Accessing your bank acounts via online or via mobile app makes life easier and convenient. Just remember to follow the best practices and banking safety tips so you can protect your money.
Here are the banks’ hotline numbers in case you need to report a suspicious email or you encounter issue with the entries in your bank account:
- UnionBank of the Philippines hotline: (02) 841 8600
- Security Bank hotline: (02) 887 9188
- Banco de Oro Metro Manila hotline: (02) 631 8000
- Banco de Oro Domestic Toll-Free Numbers: 1800-10-631-8000 (PLDT), 1800-3-631-8000 (Digitel), 1800-5-631-8000 (Bayantel), 1800-8-631-8000 (Globelines)
- Banco de Oro International Toll-Free Number: IAC +800-8-631-8000
- Metrobank hotline Metro Manila: +632 8700 700
- Metrobank Domestic Toll Free: 1 800 1888 5775
- BPI Hotline Metro Manila: (02) 89-100 for Metro Manila
- BPI Domestic Toll-free number: 1-800-188-89100 (PLDT)
- China Bank hotline Metro Manila (02) 885 5888
- China Bank Domestic Toll-Free Numbers: 1-800-1888-5888 (PLDT), 1-800-3888-5888 (Digitel)
- Landbank hotline: (02) 405 7000
- Landbank Domestic Toll free number: 1-800-10-405-7000 (PLDT)
If your bank’s hotline number is not indicated above, we suggest that you check the back of your atm card (if you have one) for the hotline number or search it online.
We encourage you to check with your own bank for their own internet banking safety tips and recommendations too.