Summary and Popularity of Site
Bank safe online is a site dedicated to helping UK citizens fight phishing, fraud and Trojan viruses amongst other things. You would think that such advice would be much sought after, but this site is ranked well outside the top one million most visited sites in the world and is also outside the top 100,000 in the UK*.
Site Design
They should probably spice up the homepage for a start . All that greets a visitor is a warning stating that online fraud is on the increase and that it’s in your best interests to gain greater knowledge of the methods the criminals use to steal your money. On the right hand side, there is a small notice regarding current warnings and on the left side of the page you have a handful of choices such as the FAQ’s page and how to spot scams.
Content
Although having such a single minded focus makes it difficult to come up with huge amounts of content, you would imagine that there is far more information about scams than what is on their site. The ‘types of scam’ page just has explanations on what phishing, Trojans and Money Mules do and why they are so dangerous. Although this information is vital, surely they could elaborate a little more on these scams as well as informing the public about other cons.
The spotting scams section covers the same ground as the types of scam page and again it does not give enough information one feels. The articles are rather simplistic at times. Clearly this site is for inexperienced internet users so it would be grossly unfair to criticise it too much.
Positives and Summary
It does provide a great service and is an essential tool for anyone who is confused about the types of scams out there. This certainly lays the foundations and gives readers a rudimentary knowledge of what to look for. Of particular use is their section which names and shames certain con artists and prevents them from using their nefarious tactics on you. The problem is, scammers are becoming more innovative with their schemes, meaning that sites such as this one face a constant battle to stay up to date. The site is great for beginners and should not be overlooked by anyone who has just started online banking, but it does need to be updated and its scope should also be increased to attract more visitors.
