Online banking warning

Millions of Canadians do it every day -- but the RCMP says online banking may not be as secure as many of us believe.

Fraud investigators say banks and other financial institutions avoid telling police when cyber criminals strike because they don't want to tarnish the bank's reputation.

Approximately $35 million worth of mass-market fraud was reported last year.

RCMP says this likely represents one 10 per cent of all incidents -- and the Canadian Bankers Association denies its members have been silent about the crimes.

It is true your personal information is vulnerable to hackers, so you need to have enabled your computer's encryption software. But some thieves can get the same information by stealing your home computer.

Increasingly, these con artists divert you from your bank's homepage to a fake website that looks just like it. Cyber thieves are smart -- and if there is money to be had, they'll find a way.

The most secure way to move money around is in person at your bank branch.

If you are really committed to the convenience of online banking, here's an alternative: Set up automatic payments for regular bills with large reliable companies, either with a bank account or all charged to a single credit card -- that way you only have one bill to remember to pay or no bills to pay.

Also, never forget to review all the monthly charges when you get the individual statements.

If you are interested in limiting your online exposure, make sure it's not linked to an account where you keep large sums of money or one that has a line of credit attached to it.

Be sure to set a low limit on how much money can be withdrawn each day on credit cards, debit cards and cash accounts.

But as the RCMP warn --there is still a risk.

Eating healthy for less

With food prices going higher many families are feeling the squeeze, but at the South Burnaby Community Kitchen they know how to stretch that food dollar.

"We've got a really tight budget. We've got 40 bucks to spend," say Coordinator Lynn Leong talking about her weekly budget to make 35 meals.

"We sometimes have to substitute ingredients or eliminate a couple ingredients that are not essential to a recipe," said Leong.

On the menu recently -- hot pot and BBQ pork buns.

Leong says substituting local products for imports is a great way to save money.

"Mangoes are never as inexpensive as apples," she says for example.

Another tip -- shop specials.

"It feels to me that in the sale flyers there are fewer sale items on, fewer loss leaders."

She's right -- not all specials are loss leaders. Some products are sold below cost to attract shoppers. To save money, it is important to identify outstanding value to keep your overall grocery bill from rising.

Other tips to eat better, fresher food and save money include: Plan ahead, shop in bulk where possible, freeze servings for next time, and read flyers closely -- they aren't junk mail -- they're research

"Not everything in a flyer is actually on sale. Sometimes it's more regular price and it allows us to," said Leong. "Compare prices from one store to the next."

With current market conditions, buying more fresh fruit and vegetables that haven't gone up and purchasing less rice, bread and pasta can keep your bill down.

In the cereal aisle, instead of products made with scarce wheat or rice -- look for oats.

Oat supplies are at high levels, so the price of oat-based products shouldn't go up.

Smart shopping can save you 20 per cent on your grocery bill -- even when prices rise.

UBC food scientist Jim Vercammen says there's reason to think recent jumps are temporary.

"There's no reason to expect that this is going to be our permanent future," he said.

When food prices go up that creates inflation -- and when that happens the Bank of Canada often raises interest rates to keep inflation in check. It's one of the unexpected consequences to keep an eye on.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen

Recipe: BBQ pork buns

Yeast:

One-pound fresh yeast divided into 10 portions

� teaspoon sugar

� cup war water

One-cup flour

Combine sugar and water together. Add one portion of already divided yeast. Soak until yeast foams for approximately 10 minutes. Then add yeast to flour and mix. Let flour/yeast mixture rise again for about 30 minutes.

Dough:

Five full cups of flour

� cup sugar

� cup oil

Two egg whites

� cup warm milk

� cup warm water

Add sugar, oil, egg whites and risen yeast to flour. Mix together. Then add water and stir together. Kneed flour and flog dough about three to six times. Let dough rise until double in size. After double in size, shape into 28 balls, roll dough into desired bun size and put filing in dough and shape. Let dough rise again and steam for 10 minutes.

Filing:

Four tablespoons corn starch

� cup water

One-pound BBQ pork

One-tablespoon shallots

Two-tablespoon oyster sauce

Three-tablespoon dark Soya sauce

Three-tablespoon sugar

One-tablespoon sesame oil

Mix cornstarch and water in small bowl. Then mix together BBQ pork, oyster sauce, dark Soya sauce, and sugar and sesame oil in bowl. Stir fry shallots in pan and add BBQ pork mixture to the pan. Add cornstarch mixture to pan, mix and then cool. When finished, place in fridge until ready to use.