frequent questions
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What is a basic bank account?
Access to the credit intermediary activity
List of authorised credit intermediaries
How to protect yourself from online fraud?
Know your rights when making payments in Europe.
Do you know what the gross domestic product is? What about inflation? (only in Portuguese)
Key tips to protect yourself when choosing online or mobile banking services.
As part of the European Cybersecurity month, the Banco de Portugal will be sharing some tips with bank customers during the month of October on how to safely access banking products and services from their computer, tablet or mobile phone.
This week we draw your attention to a number of precautions you should take when using the internet to access your bank account.
1. Protect your equipment and internet connection.
Do not give permission for websites or apps with confidential information to start automatically without requiring a login.
Keep your operating system and anti-virus and anti-spyware software updated on all your equipment.
2. Always type the URL of your home banking.
Never access your home banking service using an existing link in an email, addresses recorded in ‘Favourites’ or ‘History’, or search engine results.
Check whether the address you have typed is the entity’s official address.
3. Check the security of your bank’s website.
Check that the address you wish to access starts with ‘https’ and that there is a closed padlock in the navigation bar or at the bottom of the window.
Click on the padlock to check whether the connection is secure.
4. Protect your login details.
Do not give out passwords to third parties.
Never use the same password for accessing your home banking service that you use to unlock your equipment or in connections that require less security.
Make sure you type the password and other authentication data for accessing your home banking service away from others and that you are not being watched.
Do not store passwords on the browser to avoid them being compromised.
5. End the session.
End the session by clicking on the respective icons and leave the bank’s web page.
Check that login is required to access the service again.
6. Remain vigilant.
Regularly check your bank account movements.
Check the date and time of the last access to the home banking service.
Set up alerts for transfers and debits or other security measures provided by your bank.
If you receive suspicious emails or text messages claiming to be from your bank, check with them via their official contact channels.
The Banco de Portugal joins European Cybersecurity Month