Learn how to keep your money safe

How to keep your accounts and money safe.

When it comes to taking care of your accounts and your money, the most important thing is to keep it safe from fraud. Fraud is when someone tricks you into losing your money.

Together, we can beat the fraudsters. Here are three vital steps that will help you avoid scams.

Number one: stay safe with your card.

Remember to keep your debit card with you, inside a purse, wallet or bag – so it’s secure and out of sight.

Never tell anyone your PIN or share photos of your card on social media. And, if you’re using a cash machine, make sure no one can see you enter your PIN.

Don’t forget, if you’ve misplaced your debit card, but know it’s not lost or stolen, you can quickly freeze transactions in shops or in other countries using
our Mobile Banking app. Then you can unfreeze your card when you find it.

It’s really important that if you think your card IS lost or stolen you let us know straightaway.

Call 0800 028 8335.

Tell us via Internet Banking, our app or by giving us a call and we’ll cancel it for you and order you a new one.

Number two of our three steps to staying safe is ‘Bank safely’. With Internet Banking you can do your banking anytime, anywhere, using your mobile phone, tablet or computer. So make sure you stay alert to stay safe.

When you’re banking online or with your app, never share your account or personal details and always remember to log out when you’ve finished. So make sure you stay alert to stay safe.

Some fraudsters may try to trick you by phoning, texting or emailing you and pretending to be your bank asking for your account details, like your password or PIN, or asking you to transfer money into a new account. We would never do this. If you’re not sure who’s calling you, stay safe by hanging up.

Unsure about a call?
Hang up.

Got a strange text or email?
Don’t reply.

And never reply or click on links in suspicious text messages or emails.

Step three is to stay safe shopping online. Shopping online can be easy and save you time. But not all websites are safe.

Look out for the lock in the web browser address bar. It means the website you’re on is secure.

There are more helpful tips for fighting fraud on our website. And, for other useful advice, watch the rest of our videos on the Smart Start web page.

Be sure to keep your card safe, bank safe and shop safe as you enjoy Smart Start.