Safe spending during lockdown

The coronavirus disease lockdown is a learning curve for us all. It appears that handling cash is just one of several ways in which person-to-person transmission can occur.

“Digital platforms provide an efficient, fast, safe and nearly instantaneous solution to many, if not all, of your daily banking requirements, away from public spaces,” says Funeka Montjane, chief executive of personal and business banking at Standard Bank.

Every time a mobile pay-point is used, a client is at risk, and few pay-points seem to be disinfected after use. A good solution here is Tap to Pay. This works by radio frequency identification (RFID); you simply move your card over the pay-point, and the device reads your card, making a payment without contact.

security risk

Tap to Pay comes with one disadvantage: potential for theft. According to Chester Wisniewski, a senior security adviser at cyber security company Sophos, stealing someone’s credit card data is “as simple as loading an app onto your Android smartphone and tapping it”.

If you’re concerned, Wisniewski suggests investing in a protective sleeve with special shields, which can stop the radio frequency from being read by thieves.

Visit pricecheck.co.za for good prices for RFID-blocking sleeves. When banking from home, make sure you use a secure website. The link should start with ‘https’, never just ‘http’.

‘Https’ indicates that the website uses encryption to scramble your data so that no one can intercept it.

avoid that bank email

Whatever you do, never access your bank website from a link received via email. Fraudsters create their own website that looks exactly like the bank’s site. When you enter your login details, you are giving them direct access to your bank account.

• Greg Miles is a livestock farmer and Internet marketer. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Online farmer.

greG miles