Job Discussion Forums

[Dooly]

Hi,

This is probably a dumb question, but are there any public places I can go to do safe Internet banking (maybe in a hotel or somewhere?) I'm not bringing a computer over, and I don't really know how else to check up on my investments and things at home.

[JimDunlop2]

Not really a dumb question.... Let me answer it this way.

My bank back in Canada is Royal Bank. When I get onto the website and click the button to do Internet banking, there is a little check box that I can select if I am using a "public" computer, such as in an Internet Cafe. This causes my login session to use an additional level of security.

As long as the browser you are using has 128bit SSL encryption (which is pretty much everything nowadays), I wouldn't worry too much. The only problem I can foresee, is that sometimes the web browser asks you whether you wish to save your username/password for future logins. Of course, if this comes up in Japanese and you can't understand what it's asking you and you click "OK" or "yes" then you may have a slight problem.

Otherwise, I'd say your risk in accessing the net securely is neither more nor less than back home. Make sure you take the appropriate precautions and you should be alright.

[Dooly]

[JimDunlop2]