The term ‘phishing’ has been getting a lot of media attention lately. If you believe everything you hear about it, it paints the image the internet is a scary, dangerous place with unscrupulous people waiting to steal your personal information.

Fortunately reputable third party payment providers, like Ezidebit, have sophisticated design systems to protect your sensitive information—including being compliant to the highest security standards according to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

There are also a few other simple steps you can take to keep your information safe:

• Always use an antivirus application and ensure that it is always up-to-date.
• Use personal firewall software.
• Always make sure you have the latest version of all of your software.
• Always use a unique password that is just for your banking software.
• Always use strong passwords.
• Change your password regularly.
• Never save your password on your computer.
• Be careful using your passwords on a computer that isn’t yours.
• Never tell anyone your security questions.
• Always check you are using a secure website.

By taking a little extra effort and following the above points, you can ensure your next chat about phishing is a tale of the biggest fish you ever caught, not one of stolen personal information. Read more about how Ezidebit protects your online information.

It’s important to be able to trust your billing provider with your personal banking information—after all they are dealing with your finances. So how do you know if they’re credible?

The first thing to consider is reputation. Do they have a good reputation in the industry? Do they look after their customers?

The next thing is their credentials. Check if your billing provider has:

• PCI compliance to ensure data is secured according to the highest standards in data protection. Level 1 is the highest standard of PCI compliance, and signals the provider adheres to the highest standards of data security.
• An Australian Financial Services License which is monitored by ASIC and only offered to trusted providers.
• Australian Payments Clearing Association membership to ensure compliance with BECS (Bulk Electronic Clearing System) rules and regulations.
• Fair Trading Association membership to ensure they act in accordance with the Fair Trading Act.
• Sponsorships with banks for the provision of direct debit and merchant services.

By checking these factors, you will ensure that you can trust the provider to deliver your payments in a safe manner that lowers risk to both yourself and your customers.

Read more about Ezidebit’s compliance.