Online Safety & Security

Never disclose passwords or other personal information in response to an email, phone call or letter purporting to be from your bank or other financial institution. Banks will never send you emails asking you to divulge such information. Any communication from banks will use your actual name (not ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’) and possibly another verification of authenticity such as your postcode or part of your account number. If you are unsure if an email is genuine, contact your bank via other means. 

Always make sure you are using a secure internet connection to connect to your bank. Never use free public Wi-Fi - however convenient - as this may not be secure and your online banking could be eavesdropped on.

Always check your statements, and if you notice any unusual transactions, report them immediately.

Some banks offer additional security software specifically designed to protect you during online banking. Rapport software, as it is known, is a free download from these banks and secures financial transactions in addition to normal internet security software. 

All banks carry online security information on their websites, including information about known frauds. 

Creating strong, unique passwords for all your critical accounts really is the best way to keep your personal and financial information safe. This is especially true in the era of widespread corporate hacks, where one database breach can reveal tens of thousands of user passwords. If you reuse your passwords, a hacker can take the leaked data from one attack and use it to login to your other accounts.  Always create complex passwords using a mix of letter, numbers and symbols such as 8oots&sh0es23

Shopping online can be quick and convenient, but you need to protect your financial information. Make sure that you are using a secure website before entering any personal details. There are ways to spot that a website is secure, Including:

• The website address starts with ‘https’ not just ‘http’ as the ‘s’ stands for secure and uses encryption to scramble your data so it can’t be intercepted by others.
• The address bar is green, which is an additional sign that you’re using a safe website.
• A padlock symbol in the browser where the website address is (but don’t be fooled if the padlock appears on the page itself)
• A current security certificate which is registered to the correct address (this appears when you click on the padlock)

Be aware that a padlock symbol is not an absolute guarantee of safety. If you ever have doubts it’s best to leave the page.  Also, be on the lookout for websites that have misspellings or bad grammar in their addresses. They could be copycats of legitimate websites.