This one habit prevents the most common way people lose money to bank scams. Learn it well.
The golden rule: never log in through a link someone sends you. Scammers send texts and emails with links to fake pages that look exactly like your bank, to steal what you type. Get to your bank only these two ways:
- Use the official app. Download your bank’s app once from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). Check that the maker’s name is your actual bank. After that, just open the app.
- Type the address yourself. Type your bank’s real web address into the browser, or use a bookmark you saved while on the real site. Never search-and-click a random result, and never tap a link from a text or email.
Before you type your password, check two things:
- The web address is exactly your bank’s, with no extra or misspelled words (bank name, then .com).
- A padlock icon is not proof. It only means the connection is private. Scammers have padlocks too. Check the address itself.
A quick example. You get a text: “Your account is locked, log in here to fix it.” You do not tap it. You open your bank’s app directly instead. Everything is fine. The text was bait.
What to do:
- Install the official app, or bookmark the real site while you are on it.
- Always reach your bank by the app or by typing the address, never a link.
- Glance at the web address before typing your password.
General education, not financial advice.