How Electronic Fund Transfers Are Safer than Checks

Submitted by: NeonX

It is said that the payment systems are not completely safe. While there are always chances of things going wrong, electronic fund transfers are considered to be the safest.

What are the Concerns of Using a Paper Cheque?

Handling a paper cheque is not safe. The reasons are:

* Paper checks go through a lot of people before and after submitting for clearance in the bank.
* Anyone from these people can get the important information like bank account number, routing number.
* This information can be used to take money from the bank account.
* Many times checks get lost in mail.

How EFTs Are Safer?

* EFTs are done electronically. This means everything is controlled by computers. Because of this, errors can only happen if you provide wrong information.
* In EFT, the important information about your bank account is encrypted when it is transmitted. So the prospects of stealing information are reduced.
* EFTs are operated by a central regulator. All of the transactions can only occur passing thorugh it. For example, in India, NEFT is carried through RBI system. In short, there is no chance of un-authorized EFT transactions.
* EFTs uses routing, banking codes in addition to bank account number for transactions. Because of these codes being unique, there is very little chance that your funds will be deposited to another bank account.
* There is nothing to mail in electronic transactions so there is no fear of getting anything lost in mail.

There are always possibilities of errors and mistakes to occur even though we use advanced technologies. But by taking some safety measures we can overcome it and make any system safe and secure to use thus making life simpler.

What Precautions should be taken for EFT?

Though electronic fund transfer is safer and secure, following precautions are needed to ensure it:

* For an EFT transaction to be safe, please ensure that you are giving the correct information to the sender. It is often found that wrong information is the primary cause of erroneous transactions.
* If you are sending information through internet, first make sure that the website provides secure encryption technology.
* Study your bank statements cautiously for any errors. If you are doubtful of anything, inform it to that financial organization.
* Always keep the unique EFT transaction numbers. If you discover any problems with any of the EFT transactions, you can contact your bank with unique EFT transaction ID to solve these problems.

About the Author

Jyotsna K likes to write about HDFC Bank. You can read the original: "Are Electronic Fund Transfers Safe?" article on this website.

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