I would like to add my Rs.0.02 to this. First of all, I wish ddriver the very best. May you get back your money asap. And second, based on my experience with some public sector and private banks, a few tips on how to secure net banking.
For private banks, the procedure for registering (and unregistering) from the net-banking is relatively easy - most often can be done online using your credentials such as DOB, account no, ATM card no, pin, etc. Once that's done you're set to go. When you happen to forget your password/userid etc., you can call their customer care and have it reset. But I find this as a serious security loophole. Reason: The person at the other end verifies it's you, by asking a few questions - your account no (an impostor can get it thru different channels - simplest of all is by having a look at the ATM slip that most of us carelessly throw away near the machine itself. Some machines mask the first few digits though), DOB - again easy, if you are a regular in social networking sites and/or you've given out your info in legit sites for some other purposes, debit card no (some ATMs don't mask the card no in the slip, so it's easy for them). The customer care executive might behave nicely because (s)he doesn't want you to feel offended by asking too many questions (assuming it's you who's calling up).
The info the impostor has gathered, can be used against you. So, keep your password as complex as you can. Do NOT, in any case send out your userid or password thru mails, chats, sms, etc. to anyone.
Public Sector banks are also on par with private banks in terms of the facilities provided via net-banking. But if you forget your password or userid, you'll have to visit the branch office to have it reset. This, I believe, is for extra security. And I wouldn't scoff if I happen to be in such a situation.
Therefore, I would prefer banking with a PSU bank such as SBI and its associates (SBT, SBH, SBM, etc). Their online customer support is faster and more customer-friendly, compared to others. Might sound puzzling. But it's a fact that I've seen for myself. If I contact ICICI or ABN Amro (now RBS) for any account-related issues, I would get an immediate automated response. But if for the same reason I contact SBI, I get a mail that would most often contain the solution (or steps to solve the issue) within a day. My sister once happened to forget her SBI password, and we went to the bank to have it reset. We returned home and she tried setting a new one. But it wouldn't work. I wrote to the customer care explaining the situation. The next day morning at around 11, I got a call from the SBI branch asking me to try again. My sister tried again and it worked. They rang me up after half an hour or so to confirm. The point is, I had kept some of the mail addresses I'd found in their website - of the grievance cell, mail id of the branch, etc in the cc. So I was sure at least one would respond.
Coming to using the facility - stay away from M$ products (Windoze - XP, 98, 2000, Vista (big No-no), Win 7, Windows Mobile, Internet Explorer - any version). If at all you have to use Windoze (like me, because I can't run Linux in my office workstation), don't use IE to do internet transactions. Use Firefox, or the latest Opera (version 10.xx).
As much as possible, avoid using the internet banking sites from public PCs such as those in Internet cafes. If at all you have to do it, use the on-screen keyboard to type in your userid and password. This would render the keyloggers if installed, useless. And before you open the page and after you're done with the process, clear all history, cookies, temporary files, cache, etc.
I strongly recommend using a Linux flavour in your laptop or home PC - lesser threats from viruses, trojans, etc. Ubuntu is one of the most popular one. It's easy to install and use.
If you browse from the mobile, use BOLT (works on most Java-enabled phones from Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola), or the Nokia native browser found in newer phones (5800, 5230, 5233, N95, N97 et al) or Safari (iPhone). Haven't used a blackberry, so I can't comment on them.
Above all, be extra careful. It's our hard-earned money. |