Yes

by Kamil Mio Osbual

Created on: December 16, 2009

Safe. The Merriam-Webster defines this as "secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss". Sounds simple enough. However, for the massive growth of the Internet nowadays you would ask, "Is it safe to pay online?". And just like the word, it's simply... YES.

Paying bills online or even purchasing online is highly convenient because most people just simply don't have the time to go out to an outlet, fall in line and pay their bills. With the rapid growth of technology, we can now conveniently dothis simple tasks with a few click right in front of our computer. Now the question is, whether it's safe or not and like I said, yes. Don't worry about spyware or malware that might distribute your Bank details on the web. It's really simple, It doesn't take a genius or a geek to find out how to install simple spyware & malware programs. There are tons of and well known free anti-virus products out in the web like AVG and Avira. Most of these products are install & forget programs because the user can just set automatic updates and scanning.

With good protective software in mind, what other risks are there for us NOT to pay bills online? Are you afraid of "exposing" your Bank details online even though you're confident enough that you don't have any spywares or malware? It's the term called "phishing" in which unencrypted websites can be accessed by certain automated programs to steal your data. Two words, Internet Browser, the three major Internet browsers out on the web, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera offers risk free web surfing through features like Web Identity information which tells you whether a certain website is safe or not.  With the up to date browsers, users are made sure that no "phishing" will occur during web surfing and most specially, during bills payments or purchases with legit websites, such as PayPal that usually have encrypted connections for added protection.

How about the so called "hackers" you say? Firewall is the solution, now most of the time, a Firewall is included when you purchase a anti-virus software. However, there are lots of independent Firewall programs out on the web. A Firewall is basically your virtual first line of defense against unwanted connections to your PC. So, rest assured with a good Firewall program, you are safe from hackers. Now people might say, "what if the hacker is persistent and tries to break in the firewall?" Good question but to be honest, I don't think any hacker would even bother to break in firewalls unless your a business mogul. Just set up some good passwords, update every software and hardwares and you're good to go.

We have been talking about "virtual" protections haven't we? Well of course, the only only precautions we should do when dealing with giving out bank details in the outside world is only a few rules. First, NEVER EVER pay bills on a public computer or wi fi hot spots because it increases your vulnerability by hundreds of percent. It's pretty much more common sense to stay at home and do your things there. And one last advice, do not give out your details to anyone aside from yourself.

In conclusion, it's pretty simple really. A little bit of common sense and precaution, there is nothing you should be afraid of, of paying bills online or making purchases online.

Learn more about this author, Kamil Mio Osbual.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.