After Hackers Stole 100M Users' Info from Capital One, Here's How You Can Tell if Online Church Giving Is Safe

Federal prosecutors announced the arrest Monday of a hacker who broke into a server at financial giant Capital One and got access to the personal data of more than a 100 million people. It was one of the largest thefts of bank data in history.

The hacker stole information about credit scores, balances and even Social Security numbers of about 140,000 customers.

The stunning hack raises concerns across the board, even for those who give to churches and charities online. So how can church-goers who give electronically make sure their data safe?

Online giving platforms all say they're secure, but they may not be as secure as people might like.   
 
Every online giving platform we checked said it subscribes to what is called the PCI Security Standards Council. That's good.  

The council, which develops standards for merchants accepting credit cards, says that "online transactions, whether they are church donations or payments for a function such as banquets, auctions, or any fund raising event, are safe and secure."

And donation platforms know that getting hacked could destroy their business model, so they have a strong incentive to be vigilant.

Here's the problem. Capital One is also a member of the PCI Security Standards Council, and it just suffered a massive data breach.

Does your online giving platform have better security than Capital One?

It might. Or it might not. But we wanted to offer some tips from the website Charity Watch.

Before sharing any credit card information online, make sure the site uses encryption technology to protect you. Look for the padlock in the website's address.

The website address should begin with "https." The "s" stands for "secure." Find out if the site utilizes firewalls and if its technology is kept up to date.

One more point. You generally have better protection when you give with a credit card than with a debit card. That's because federal law limits your liability when it comes to credit card fraud, but you might be liable for fraudulent charges from a debit card.

For more giving tips, check out this article from Charity Navigator: Avoiding Charity Scams: Questions to Ask & Ways to Give