By now most of us have received an email that requires one to click on a link to update your banking details. Hopefully we are all aware that these are scams and that no South African bank will ask you to update any banking details via an email.
This made me wonder how many of us are surfing the internet without making sure that we are entering a secure domain?
A trust seal is granted to a website to demonstrate to its visitors that the business is concerned about security and that the security of the site has been verified by an independent third party. Every website that displays a reputable Trust Seal must go through a verification process. There are three types of trust seals:
Privacy Seal
A privacy seal equips a company with a privacy statement suited to its business practices. It also helps the company identify potential privacy threats that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Business Identity Seal
A business identity seal, also known as a Verified Existence Seal, is one which verifies the legal, physical and actual existence of the business by verifying multiple parameters such as statutory details, contact details, management details, etc.
Security Seals
Security Trust Seals are the most popular type of trust seal verification. There are two different types; Server Verification and Site Verification. Server Verification services perform daily scans on the hosting server. These scans check to make sure patches have been applied or that the server is otherwise not vulnerable to attacks. Website Verification services ensure that customers are protected under normal circumstances by testing for common vulnerabilities.
Seals
How do I spot a fake seal?
Fake trust seals are becoming more common and there are websites selling fake trust seals for the fraction of the price of a genuine seal. Genuine trust seals are normally dynamic, which means that you can click on them and you will be directed to the third party’s website. This shows that it is not just copy/paste clipart on the webpage but embedded trust that can be relied upon.
What should I look out for?
Always be on the lookout for recognised trust seals whenever you are making online payments or sharing confidential information on a website. Trust seals are normally displayed at the bottom of the website’s home page. By clicking on the trust seal you can easily verify if it is genuine or not.
Secure sites are identified by the address “https://…. “ rather than the customary “http:// …. “ and a padlock symbol in the address bar.
And remember, if it does not have the tick, it is not worth the click!
How does Meredith Harington protect visitors to its site?
If you visit mhONLINE Tax at https://mhonline.meredithharington.co.za or mhONLINE BIZshare at https://bizshare.meredithharington.co.za you will note that these secure areas are secured by Thawte to protect the information of our clients against a breach of security – always seeking better ways of delivering world-class service to our clients.