Our Fraud Guarantee

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

If you fall victim to fraud, we will reimburse your loss as long as:

• You’ve not acted fraudulently
• You’ve taken reasonable steps to keep your details and devices safe
• You’ve taken sufficient care to check that the person or company you are dealing with are genuine
• You’ve followed any fraud advice and warnings we’ve given you.

When you make a claim for reimbursement when you’ve been victim to authorised push payment (APP) fraud, the Bank will adhere to the APP Reimbursement Regulation. We’ll review claims for other types of fraud on a case by case basis and in line with industry guidance.

How we help

Our fraud prevention methods include:

• Use of advanced technologies and specially developed fraud detection systems to spot unusual activity on your account
• Use of verification, one-time passcodes and security tokens as they provide you with an additional layer of protection when you bank or make payments online – remember, never tell anyone these codes, not even us
• Use of 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
• Use of a secure automated message service to contact you if we're worried about a payment you've issued
• Providing the 159 telephone service – calling 159 allows you to get in contact with the bank if you think you’ve fallen victim to a scam or been contacted by a fraudster (Remember, 159 will never call you. If you receive a call from 159, or someone posing as a representative from this service – this is a scam).

When you’re 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. If you don't want to continue or you're unsure about making the payment, you'll have the option to cancel it and contact us to discuss your concerns.

How you can protect yourself

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.

Further information to help you spot other fraud and common scams and how you can protect yourself against these is available below:

• Latest fraud alerts
• Fraud and common scams

If you are asked to make a payment, it is very important 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.

We will assess your fraud claim on an individual basis, however, we are not likely to refund you if:

• You’ve 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’ve not followed the fraud advice or warnings we’ve given you when making the payment(s)
• You’ve failed to keep your card and PIN safe
• You’ve failed to keep your online and telephone banking passwords safe (it's important that you never tell anyone your verification code or share your one-time passcodes)
• You’ve failed to let us know as soon as possible of any security breach or potential security problem, such as the loss or theft of your card
• You’ve provided us with incorrect payments instructions
• You’ve not exercised all due care and diligence when allowing an authorised open banking Third Party Provider (TPP) access to your account
• You’ve acted fraudulently.

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

Remember that a genuine bank, organisation or law enforcement agencies such as the Police, will never contact you randomly to ask for your PIN, verification code, full password or to move money to another account as part of an investigation. If you are unsure, hang up and call 159 which will direct you to the Bank and someone that can help.

Do not 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.