Bank safely

Card safety

It’s a good idea to be careful with your card and card details when you use it at a cash machine, in a restaurant or a shop.

What to look out for:

• People looking over your shoulder - If you use a cash machine or card reader don’t let anyone stand close enough to see what you're doing.
• People offering help - If a stranger offers to help you at a cash machine, put your card away and leave. This is a scam to try and see your PIN and steal your card.
• A server taking your card away - Never let your card out of your sight. You should go to the till or wait for a card machine to come to you.

What you can do:

• Use a cash machine inside a bank branch - It’s harder to try to steal from you if you use a cash machine inside a bank branch.
• Don’t let anyone see your PIN - Your card and PIN are just for you. Never let anyone else see your PIN when you use a cash machine or a card reader. Always shield the keypad so no one can see what you enter.
• Use Contactless or phone apps to pay - You can pay for things quickly and safely with Contactless or a phone app. And you don’t have to use your PIN.
• Don’t write your PIN down - If you write your PIN down then someone else could use it to get your money. You can use the mobile banking app to get an instant reminder of your PIN if you forget it.
• Change your PIN - If you think someone has seen your PIN then you should change it. You can do this on a Bank of Scotland cash machine.

Previous topic: How we protect you

Unknown payments and disputes with a seller

If you don't get what you thought you were buying, it may not be fraud. The same can be said if you see a payment on your statement that you don’t recognise. Learn more about checking payments and seller disputes here:

I don’t recognise a payment on my credit card

I don’t recognise a payment on my debit card

New card, new scam

If you have to get a new card because of a scam, fraudsters can try to scam you again. They may still have your details and pretend to be from your bank or another well-known company. 

Remember, only a fraudster would call to tell you to move money to another account. And we’ll never send a message with a link for you to login or to give personal and banking details.