A couple of days ago I tried to log on to my “online banking site” and NOTHING happened. I checked my security settings and cookie levels and still can’t get on. Please help! Also what is the best and free antivirus/spyware product?
When a problem such as this occurs, the solution often depends on the circumstances. Try to think about any changes that you have made to your computer recently. Also, you need to determine whether this is the only website that you are having problems with or if others exist. Plus, it helps to think about the last time that you tried to access this particular website as well as the possibility that your account login might not be accurate. Are you typing in the address in full or clicking on a link? Read over the following suggestions and try each one until you manage to regain access to your online banking website account.
Online Banking Security: Signs of Legitimacy
Today, a number of scammers have gone into the business of setting up cloned websites to trick customers into giving away their personal information for devious purposes. The website looks almost like the original, legitimate one unless you could compare them side-by-side. In fact, my personal bank had this problem and many customers did not realize it until they tried to actually log in with their personal information.
Most online banking sites provide excellent security measures. Look for the signs that you have entered the right website. You should see the small icon of a gold lock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Plus, a small picture or icon is usually on display on the left-hand side of the URL in the web address bar.
Look at the home page of the website that you are trying to get into. The more information that you see, the more likely it is that the website is legitimate. You should see words or phrases such as “Copyright,” “All rights reserved,” and “Member FDIC.” You should also see the phone number of the bank listed for contact purposes. If these signs of legitimacy aren’t there, contact your bank in person or on the phone and check the safety of your accounts. However, scammers are pretty good at cloning websites, so the site may include these terms.
Troubleshooting Online Banking Problems
New fears of identity theft and security issues have led many banks, credit agencies, and other financial institutions to change the rules of their online website access. In some cases, the username and password are deleted if too much time has passed in between signing up and accessing the account. This strategy is designed to protect the customers.
Troubleshooting Account Access
Whenever you have difficulty gaining access to one of your accounts, you need to take the following steps in an effort to resolve the problem:
- Type your information in one character at a time rather than clicking on stored data.
- Clear the temporary cache, stored passwords, cookies, and other temporary files on your web browser. It is possible that inaccurate information has been stored and is now preventing you from accessing your account.
- If you are using IE7, check to see if the phishing filter has been enabled using the Tools option. If it has, turn it off if you are positive that you are on the legitimate Web site.
- Check your security levels (which you already did.)
- Contact the bank directly and explain the problem. Many of the larger banks have tech guys who will look up your information and verify your password.
- Request a new password, change the password, and try to log in.
Since you asked about free antivirus products, view this article discussing them here:
Susan Keenan | June 29th, 2009
You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
