If something should still go wrong, PostFinance customers are protected, as PostFinance covers all damage suffered in e-finance or the banking app due to a Trojan horse, virus or malware up to an amount of CHF 100,000.
Reading Time 4 Minutes
Reading Time 4 Minutes
Created on 08.08.2019
Online security while on the go: seven tips to avoid Internet fraud
Anyone surfing the Internet should pay attention to security – not just for online banking, but for all their activities on the web. You can stay secure online when on the go thanks to our seven tips.
Remembering secure passwords
Create a secure password that is easy to remember – and don’t write it down. It’s simple to create a secure password by forming a sentence and taking the first letters of each word. Then expand the password with special characters. Ideally, a password should contain at least 12 characters.
One example would be: “I like eating Nutella sandwiches as a 4 p.m. snack!”, which would produce “IleNsaa4s”.
The “s” matters: https instead of http
Use the secure https:// connection for online payments. PostFinance uses this connection type. HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. The “s” in http means “secure”. In contrast to standard HTTP, HTTPS sends all the data to the receiving computer in encrypted form.
Never access online banking via public WiFi
Make sure you do not use public WiFi when you access e-finance on your computer or smartphone. Public WiFi networks are not always secure. Third parties may be able to access your data. Only use encrypted WiFi or mobile data.
Never pass on data and never transfer money to strangers.
Do not disclose any personal information, especially account information. PostFinance will never contact you to ask you for your account details. You should under no circumstances disclose your data to anyone claiming to be a bank advisor or relative. The same applies to transfers: never transfer money to somebody you don’t know very well, and personally make sure that anyone asking you for money is really who they say they are.
Check your account transactions
Check your account transactions regularly – this will enable you to identify unknown entries quickly and get to the bottom of them. The quickest way to do this is via app or e-banking.
Tip: if you use the PostFinance App, you can activate notifications to keep informed about your account transactions at all times. It’s simple, fast and secure.
Be wary of e-mails from unfamiliar senders and in poor English
“You’ve won! CHF 100,000! Payed out immediately!” or “Hi darling, are you feeling lonely too?” You should be extremely wary if e-mails like these arrive in your inbox. Fraudsters often try and tempt you with dubious promises of winnings or supposed true love. You should delete e-mails from unknown senders – and thoroughly examine all messages in general. E-mails with strange stories, in dubious English and promising large amounts of money are fraudulent attempts to obtain your money and confidence.
Ignore attachments and links
You should ignore and delete e-mails prompting you to click on links straight away and enter your account details or download attachments – even if they supposedly originate from your bank. There are often harmful programs and fraudsters behind them. PostFinance will never send you an e-mail asking to check your details. Tip: has a fraudster gained access to your credit card information? Use e-finance on your computer or smartphone to block your card immediately. We explain how to do this in our guide “Manage cards in e-finance easily”
