Rincy Jacob was expecting a balance of Rs.10,000. A zero balance sent shivers down her spine since she had not withdrawn any money at all!

"It would be a system error," she thought. She refreshed the browser and logged in again. This time there was no mistake. The account still showed zero balance.

Rincy became a figure in the growing statistics of online theft. So how did it happen?

"It could have been due to a weak password or negligent usage of Internet banking," says Vidya Monde, ICICI Branch Operations Manager.

You can protect your account from being hacked into with a clever password. Remember these basic tips when you create and use passwords for any online transactions.

Avoid Personal Relevance

Do not create passwords that are relevant to you or your personal situation. Avoid using your name, date of birth, PAN number, flat or phone number as passwords.

Similarly, avoid the use of common or obvious names. This includes your name and the names of your family members, pets, nicknames, places etc. These are easy for the hackers to figure out.

For example, if your name is Anita and you are 25 years old, don't have 'anita25' as a password. You don't need to be Einstein to figure this one out, neither does the hacker!

Longer the Better

The longer and complex your password, the less chances of it being abused.

Every bank offers a minimum limit of eight characters. But it would be better if you could use atleast 15 characters containing a combination of alphabets, special characters like a dot (.), asterix (*), hash(#) and numbers.

Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters as well. For example: a#8^4*P@r$n!A

Mangle it

Use your favourite song name or lyrics and twist it slightly. For example, dil chahta hai can become chahtahaidil.

Use Spaces

If the system allows it, use spaces in the password. Most hacking tools fail to read it.

Factors to consider when online:

• Change your online banking password after your first login and thereafter at least once a month regularly.
• Create and maintain different passwords and login ids for multiple applications. That is, if you have accounts in different banks, create separate login ids and passwords for each. Never use a common one for all.
• Do not use the same login id and password that you use to access your PC or personal email.
• If your id and password appear on the websites sign in page each time you visit, disable the auto complete function, as it tends to register your details on the PC and your account can be accessed by anyone who uses your computer.
• If you are accessing your account from a cyber café or a shared computer, remember to log off. And change your password later from your own PC at home or work place.
• As far as possible, avoid checking your account from publicly shared computers.
• Never share your password with others. Not even your family members or a banking officer.
• Do not give your id or password to anyone over phone or through email.