Security and fraud

Our Fraud Guarantee works to protect you and your money when you bank with us, whether that's online, over the phone or in branch.

If you happen to fall victim to fraudulent activity, we guarantee to refund your loss as long as you've not acted fraudulently, and you've taken reasonable steps to keep your details safe.

How we protect your business

However you choose to bank with us, you can be sure you are protected. Our fraud prevention methods include:

• We use advanced technologies and specially developed fraud detection systems to spot unusual activity on your account
• We use verification codes and security tokens as they provide you with an additional layer of protection when you bank online and make payments.
• We also use a timed logout system on our online banking service. This means that after a certain period of inactivity, you will be automatically logged out of online banking

If you speak to us about paying someone new we will check that you're confident about who you are paying. We'll do this by guiding you through tailored information about the type of payment you're making.

We are proud to have signed up to the Contingent Reimbursement Model, a voluntary code that aims to offer our customers better protection from Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams.

An APP scam happens when you are deceived into transferring funds (through Faster Payment or CHAPS) to someone, or you transfer funds for what you believe is a genuine purpose, and this turns out to be fraudulent.

We do everything we can to keep your money safe and secure. However, there are common threats that you can be aware of and some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself from fraud.

If you are asked to make a payment, it is your responsibility to make sure the request is genuine before you authorise it. Please be aware of seemingly random requests to move money, or requests that are from people or companies you haven't dealt with before. If this happens, it is often a sign that you are being tricked.

Each situation will be assessed on an individual basis. However, we are not likely to refund you if:

• You have not adhered to the security requirements set out in the terms and conditions of your account
• You've not exercised all due care and diligence to check that the person or company you are dealing with is genuine
• You fail to keep your card and PIN safe
• You fail to keep your online and telephone banking passwords safe. It's important that you never tell anyone your verification code.
• You fail to let us know as soon as possible of any security breach or potential security problem, e.g. the loss of your card
• You have provided us with incorrect payments instructions
• You have not exercised all due care and diligence when allowing an authorised Third Party Provider (TPP) access to your account
• You have acted fraudulently.

If you believe you are a victim of fraud, contact us immediately.

Remember that a genuine bank or organisation will never contact you randomly to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account as part of an investigation.

Don't give out personal or financial details unless it is to use a service that you have signed up to, and you're sure that the request for your information is directly related.

Ensure you stay safe online and keep your information secure by following our recommendations.

Install and run anti-virus software

If you don’t already have it, then we strongly recommend that you install anti-virus software on any devices you use when banking. Running anti-virus software can help prevent infection from the many viruses that are on the internet.

Not setting up or running a regular scan with your anti-virus software means viruses may go undetected and there is an increased risk of financial fraud.

Use a firewall

A firewall on your computer acts like a barrier. It helps to block malicious software from gathering your private information. It can also help stop potential intruders.

You can get a number of different firewalls, some come with your anti-virus software, some are built into your modem or router and most Microsoft Windows computers will have a firewall as standard.

Keep your devices up to date

Online threats often change and new ones will emerge. By regularly updating your computer or mobile device operating systems when prompted, you can help keep your devices safe.

Microsoft, Apple, Google and other developers regularly update their operating systems and software for desktop computers and mobile devices. Not only does this improve performance, it helps protect against any new bugs or security vulnerabilities discovered.

Help to protect your devices by installing software and internet browser updates as soon as they become available.