Online banking has continued to increase in number of users year after year, and Spain is no exception. In fact, 52% of Spain’s citizens access their financial operations via mobile, thus becoming the fifth country in Europe in this particular ranking.

However, there is still a high percentage of the population that is reluctant to make the leap into the digital world when it comes to operations with their money, and among the main reasons are the doubts about their safety.

For those who use online banking every day, the uninterrupted availability of the service, comfort, or available services, are basic factors, but the most important factor when deciding on one bank or another, is the confidence that our private data and our information is totally safe and protected .

The news that comes to us about computer attacks of phishing, viruses, malware, or spyware, can be alarming and generate distrust. However, in the case of online banking, it is something very unusual, since Internet banks count on very high computer security measures.

A bank must generate confidence, and therefore it is not surprising that financial institutions that offer online services, invest up to three times more in security than other companies.

In addition to the access codes, usually based on personal data such as National Identification Numbers, and a password established by us, the connections between the client and the application or website of the online bank is always encrypted, using secure browsing (as we can see when viewing the HTTPS in the top bar of the browser).

The need of a second password or access to a specific device (usually our mobile) to confirm the operation is commonly needed with any financial transaction that involves an outflow of money from our account.

In any case, if we want to increase our security on the Internet when we use our online bank, it is important to follow some basic but useful tips that can help us reduce any risk:

• Review your account’s or card’s movements periodically. In the event that we detect an unauthorized transaction, purchase or movement, notify the bank immediately.
• Never carry passwords or card security codes. It is much safer to memorize them.
• Always use complex passwords, with alphanumeric codes.
• Do not open emails that may be suspicious. One of the typical methods of trying to extract user keys is by sending fake emails that are supposed to come in our bank’s name. We must be careful not to click on any of the links in these emails if we have not previously confirmed that it is an authentic email from the bank.
• Always have an updated antivirus active on your computer or mobile