Security and Fraud - Bank of Ireland UK

Fraud Awareness Events

Bank of Ireland UK cares about keeping your money safe. To help protect you, we’re offering free fraud awareness events.

These events will take place across Northern Ireland. The locations and dates are listed below. We will announce more events soon.

Area	Location	Date	Time
Armagh	Bank of Ireland Armagh	Wednesday 6th November 2024	9am
Glengormley	Bank of Ireland Glengormley	Friday 15th November 2024	8:30am

Subject to change

Remember to Stop, Think, Check… and together we won’t let the fraudsters win.

Events are also taking place in the Republic of Ireland; dates and locations of these events can be found here: Security Zone – Bank of Ireland Group Website.

New rules for victims of Authorised Push Payment Fraud

No one ever wants to fall victim to crime, and fraud is the most reported crime impacting communities across the UK.

As well as the financial impact, there can be emotional and trust impacts, that come due to fraud attempts and activity, which is why we do what we can to help protect you from fraudsters.

We offer:

Information and advice on protecting yourself from fraud, available on our website
Free fraud awareness presentations in venues and for groups across Northern Ireland
Support from the “Take-Five” Fraud Awareness Campaign
Free after-care and professional support from Victim Support

In addition we regularly monitor customer transactions, and we may phone you or send you a text to ask about activity on your account.

It’s important to know that if we do contact you, at Bank of Ireland UK, we will never:

Ask you for your PIN;
Ask you for your password;
Ask you to transfer money to a safe account.

When a customer falls victim to fraud, we follow industry best practice for customer support to ensure a consistent and fair outcome.

The UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has announced that when a consumer falls victim to an Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud using Faster Payments or CHAPs, they should be reimbursed as quickly as possible.

These rules apply to payments made on, or after, 7 October 2024. The changes will be reflected in our updated Terms and Conditions in due course.

It’s important that you continue to be cautious when you make payments from your account. Reimbursement is not guaranteed in all cases; some exemptions apply. There’s more information about how to protect yourself against authorised push payment fraud on the security and fraud pages of the Bank of Ireland UK website.

What is authorised push payment (APP) fraud?
Authorised push payment fraud happens when you are tricked by a criminal into sending money by bank payment to an account that they control and which you do not.
You can make a bank payment through online and mobile banking, at your branch, or by telephone banking.
Common types of APP fraud include:
- purchase fraud, where criminals pretend to sell things that don’t exist.
- impersonation fraud, where criminals claim to be someone from a bank, the police or another trusted organisation to steal money.
- investment fraud, where you’re convinced to move your money into a fictitious fund or to pay for what later turns out to be a fake investment.
- romance fraud, when criminals use a fake dating profile to start a relationship with you and then ask for money.
- invoice fraud, where fraudsters send false invoices
If a payment is taken from your account by someone else without your permission, it is called unauthorised fraud. For example, if your bank card is stolen and used to buy something in a shop or online. There are separate rules for reimbursing unauthorised fraud, including credit and debit card fraud, and you should seek advice in this instance. Contact your bank immediately if you spot any transactions that you do not recognise.
Remember, fraud affects people from all walks of life, and you should never be embarrassed if you have been scammed. We are here to help.

How to protect yourself from APP fraud
Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations, and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment. Stop, think and check. It could protect you and your money. Before making a payment, follow the advice from Take Five to Stop Fraud:
- Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or personal information. It could keep you safe.
- Ask yourself, could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
- Do your research and be suspicious of any too-good-to-be-true offers or prices.
- Remember, neither us, any Bank or the police will never ask you to transfer money to a safe account.
- If you’re unsure or are suspicious, then talk to a trusted friend or family member before making your payment.
When you are making a payment:
- Always follow any advice or warnings from us.
- We might ask you extra questions about a payment. This is to help keep you safe. Always answer these questions truthfully. If someone is asking you to lie or telling you what to say to us, then it’ll be a scam.

What the rules cover
Covered:
- Payments made within the UK. You are not covered for international payments.
- Payments made using Faster Payments
- Payments made using CHAPS.
- Payments from personal bank accounts and payments made by micro-enterprises and certain charities.
Not covered:
There are some situations where you won’t be able to get your money back under this reimbursement scheme. This includes if:
- It’s a payment you have made to another account that you control.
- You paid using cash, a cheque, or a credit, debit, or prepaid card.
- You paid using a payment system not covered under this scheme.
- It’s a civil dispute: for example, if you’ve paid a genuine retailer or business but you aren’t satisfied with the product or service you’ve received.
- You have acted fraudulently yourself – including if you have lied or misrepresented your circumstances for financial gain.
- The payment you made is unlawful: for example, if the payment was for an illegal item.
- It is a payment to and from an account with a credit union, municipal bank, or a national savings bank (state-owned savings bank in the UK).
Remember, you may have reimbursement options under other rules, so always contact us.

The Consumer Standard of Caution
You should always be careful and cautious when making payments. This means meeting the Consumer Standard of Caution:
- You need to follow any advice or warnings provided by your bank and law enforcement. This may include advice on how to check that your payment is genuine, or an alert to advise that they think it may be fraud. Your bank and law enforcement will never ask you to transfer money to protect yourself from fraud.
- You must report the fraud as soon as you can, and no more than 13 months after the last fraudulent payment was made.
- Your bank may ask you for additional information about your claim. You need to make sure you respond to these requests.
- Once you have made a claim, your bank may ask you to report the details of the fraud to the police, or they may offer to do this on your behalf. You should consent to these steps being taken where possible and reasonable.
Your bank does not have to reimburse money lost in an APP fraud if you have shown a significant degree of carelessness (known as ‘gross negligence’) when making a payment. This would mean you would not have met the Consumer Standard of Caution.

What should I do if I think I have been scammed?
- Contact us immediately if you have lost money in an APP fraud.
- It is important that you do this as soon as you realise that you may have been scammed as delays can cause problems when trying to recover your funds.
- You must report the fraud no more than 13 months after the last fraudulent payment was made.
- The maximum amount of money you can claim under the rules is £85,000.
- We may ask you for information or documents to help with your claim. This could include messages or screenshots. Please give us your consent to share information about your case with other banks where necessary.
- You should co-operate fully with us when it comes to involving the police. We will help and advise you on how to do this based on our own ways of working.

How long will it take to be reimbursed?
- Every claim will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. As part of the process we will consider the evidence presented by you, any service providers involved and – where relevant – a third party, such as the police.
- If your claim is valid, in most cases you should be reimbursed within five business days of making a claim. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays.
- In some case it can take up to 35 business days to be reimbursed. This is when we need extra time to gather information from you, the bank that received the payment, or a statutory body (such as the Financial Conduct Authority) to inform their assessment of the case.
- An excess of up to £100 may be deducted from any money that is reimbursed. We may choose a different excess up to the maximum of £100, or not apply any excess at all. We will confirm the exact amount and how this will be applied.

What happens if I am vulnerable?
There are additional protections in place for customers who, due to their personal circumstances, may be more vulnerable to being tricked by criminals. This can include a health condition, or a life event such as a bereavement.
It could also include personal factors, such as your knowledge of financial matters, your personal financial situation, your ability to withstand an emotional shock or your levels of capability – such as literacy or digital skills.
If these circumstances have had an impact on your ability to spot or protect yourself from fraud, then you can still be reimbursed even if you did not take all the steps required under the Consumer Standard of Caution.

Where can I go for more support?
We should be your first point of contact – and you should use a number for the bank that you know to be genuine, such as the one on the back of your card. You should also report fraud to Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre for the police. You can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk. If you are in Scotland, please report it to Police Scotland directly by calling 101.
If you have a complaint about us, you should contact us directly. If we cannot deal with your complaint by the working day after we receive it, we will contact you to let you know we are looking into it. We will keep you informed about our progress.
If you’re not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) which is independent and impartial. They will review your complaint by weighing up all the facts. This is a free service. For further information please visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
Being scammed can also be traumatic and upsetting, so be sure to ask for help and support if you need it.
If you have been a victim of fraud and are finding it hard to recover from the experience, you can find further support via:
- Age UK
- Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service
- Victim Support

Glossary
Building Society: A customer-owned financial organisation that provides services including savings, mortgages and other lending.
CHAPS: CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System) is a payment method used to transfer large amounts of money. CHAPS is commonly used by solicitors and conveyancers to complete housing and other property transactions. Individuals may use CHAPS to buy high-value items such as a car or pay a deposit for a house.
Certain Charities: Charities covered by these reimbursement rules have an annual income of less than £1 million.
Credit Unions: A financial co-operative that is owned and controlled by its members, providing members with services including savings and lending.
E-money organisation: A financial organisation that is authorised to issue or redeem electronic money – cash or money in digital form.
Faster Payments: A quick way of sending money between bank accounts.
Financial Conduct Authority: The organisation that regulates financial services in the UK.
Fintechs: A financial organisation that uses financial technology to provide products and services to customers.
Micro-enterprises: A micro-enterprise is a business that employs fewer than ten persons and whose annual turnover and/or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €2 million.
Payment service provider: A third party company that facilitates electronic payments.
Statutory body: An organisation that can check the activities of a business or organisation are legal and follow the rules.
Vulnerable customer: Someone who, due to their personal circumstances, is especially susceptible to harm. These could include a health condition, a life event such as a bereavement, low resilience to financial or emotional shocks, and low capability, such as poor literacy or numeracy skills.

Online Security

Our online banking websites are secure and encrypted to keep your information safe. Please use a secure browser to see your account details and make payments. We also use a firewall to protect our internal bank network.

Logging in and Timing out

When you log in to Bank of Ireland 365 online, we’ll ask for:

Your own User ID
3 random digits from your 365 login PIN
A push notification will be sent to your registered mobile device or PSK asking you to approve the login by swiping.

This information is encrypted and stays private as long as you don’t share it.

For Business Online customers, you can see your last log-in details when you log in, so you’ll know if someone else has accessed your account.
If you’re inactive for a while, your online banking session will log you out after 5 minutes.

Two Factor Authentication

You need Two Factor Authentication to add or change a payee on 365 online.
We’ll send a code to your registered mobile phone or send it by post if you prefer.

Protecting your business with Bank of Ireland Approve

Business On Line uses HID Approve. Approve has been developed by BOI’s chosen security partner HID Global, an industry leader in secure authentication solutions.
Approve creates unique, one-time Secure Codes for logging into Business On Line and authorising payments and payees.

Approve offers the following security benefits:

You need a PIN to generate Secure Code. Each code is used only once and expires once used after 60 seconds.
Approve doesn’t store any information.
Approve only works on your registered device, with your own Business On Line User ID
The app is registered to the individual user.
The Business On Line Administrator can lock a User’s profile if needed (for example, if the User go on holidays, etc.)

Top 5 Travel Tips

1. Before you go
Check that your cards and passport are still in date
We automatically replace cards about 2 weeks before the end of the month that your card expires. Your card will work for the entire month shown on the expiry date. In other words, if the expiry is shown as 10/26, the card will work until 31 October 2026.
Make sure we have your up-to-date contact details before you travel
It’s important that we have the right email and mobile, to make sure your transactions abroad (particularly outside Europe) are really yours. We might disable a card, if we can’t confirm that the genuine cardholder is using it. But it’s likely that we’ll try to get in touch with you to make sure this is a genuine transaction.
Key things to remember:
- Before you travel, please check your contact details are correct on the profile page of our mobile app. Simply click the profile icon on the top right of the main page and confirm your contact details are correct;
- Make sure that you check your text messages and emails, when you’re abroad so you don’t miss any that we might send;
- Be aware that if your mobile data is disabled or out of coverage, you will not be able to receive notifications, if we are trying to contact you;
- Where possible, use chip and PIN for transactions.
Lost and stolen cards: some important numbers
We’re here to help 24/7. Keep our emergency helpline numbers somewhere safe, so you can cancel any lost or stolen Bank of Ireland cards and organise replacements. We recommend writing our contact numbers down somewhere handy, along with other important numbers (for example, travel insurance, airline helpdesk), as well as keeping them on your phone or device.
- +353 567 757 007 (outside the UK)
- 0800 121 7790 (within the UK)
Keep your cards separate
If you have both credit and debit cards with you when you travel, we recommend that you keep them separate so that if you lose one, you still have your other card.
Emergency cash
Visa can arrange for cash to be available at a location near you if you need money when you’re waiting for a replacement card, having card acceptance difficulties or simply need cash in hand. We’re available to help you 24/7.
Contact Visa:
+44 207 9378 111 (outside the UK)
0800 89 1725 (within the UK)
Remember: you can temporarily freeze your card when you’re abroad using the B365 app.

2. Tips when using your cards abroad
- Check your purchase receipt before you sign or enter your pin – this is to make sure it’s for the correct amount;
- Keep receipts from cash machines and check them on B365 app;
- Do not give your PIN to anyone, including anyone claiming to be from the police or a card company;
- Always keep a close eye on your cards when using them to pay. Do not let your cards out of your sight, to avoid the possibility of your card being skimmed (illegally collecting data from the magnetic stripe of your card).
We’re available to help you 24/7.
Contact us: +353 567 757 007 (outside the UK).
Remember: you can temporarily freeze your card when you’re abroad using the B365 app.

3. Accommodation Scams
Rental accommodation scams aim to trick you into paying rent for property that doesn’t exist or is not actually available to rent. These scams happen throughout the year, but there’s an increase in the holiday season.
In some cases, fraudsters will say that they’re out of the country and unable to meet you when you arrive but will ask for money upfront or for a deposit to hold the property. There are even cases where fraudsters have hired properties to use for viewings to trick renters into handing over a deposit. They may even provide fake keys.
Remember to Stop, Think, Check.
How to avoid holiday rental accommodation scams:
- Use established letting agencies;
- Be extra vigilant when searching for a rental property online and not through an established letting agency;
- Ask for identification from the landlord or letting agent (for example, a driving licence);
- Get a second opinion from a trusted family member or friend;
- And always remember – if it sounds too good to be true it probably is!
If you think you have fallen victim to a rental accommodation scam, we’re available to help you 24/7, call us on:
- +353 567 757 007 (outside the UK)
- 0800 121 7790 (within the UK)
Remember: you can temporarily freeze your card when you’re abroad using the B365 app.

4. Using cash machines abroad
- Use well-lit, properly-maintained cash machines, beside a bank if you can as these usually have security cameras and are less likely to be tampered with.
- Avoid using a cash machine that is in poor condition, or appears to be altered in some way.
Be aware of Shoulder Surfing – Don’t get side-tracked by others when you’re using the machine and take care not to let anyone see your PIN. Memorise your PIN, don’t write it down.
- Have your card ready when you go to cash machines, to avoid searching through your wallet or handbag to find it;
- Make sure you don’t let others see your PIN, when typing it in;
- Memorise your PIN and do NOT leave it in a wallet or purse along with your card;
- Remember the basic steps. It’s just like using a cash machine at home:
1. 1. Insert your card and choose your language
  2. Enter your PIN and the amount you want to withdraw
  3. Remove your card, collect your cash and keep your receipt
- If your card is lost or stolen, or if you have problems using your card, call us immediately on +353 567 757 007 (outside the UK). We’re available to help you 24/7.
- If you need to get cash, be aware that many countries only allow a maximum withdrawal of €100 or £100.
- Fees and charges may apply when using cash machines abroad. Please see the terms and conditions at Travel Banking – Bank of Ireland UK
Remember: you can temporarily freeze your card when you’re abroad using the B365 app.
Also remember that your phone is more than your contacts, photos and messages, if you have your bank cards stored in your digital wallet or if there is access to banking apps it’s important to keep it secure. Make sure that where possible you’ve enabled fingerprint or face biometrics instead of using codes which fraudsters might see.

5. If you’re being pressured to make a payment
Feeling that you’re being pressured to pay for something at a highly inflated price?
If this happens or you feel under pressure to make a payment, report the matter to the local authorities and contact us immediately on +353 567 757 007 (outside the UK). We’re available to help you 24/7.
Remember: you can temporarily freeze your card when you’re abroad using the B365 app.
Stop, Think, Check… and together we won’t let the Fraudsters win.

Help for victims of financial crime

At Bank of Ireland UK (BOIUK), we know that anyone can become a victim of financial crime. We also understand that this can be very difficult for those affected. Victims may need both emotional and practical support. That’s why we’ve partnered with Victim Support (VS) to make sure our customers get the help they need after experiencing financial crime.

Who are VS?

VS is a charity that helps people affected by crime or traumatic events. They offer a range of services, including a special Fraud Support service for those who have been victims of financial crime.

What does VS do?

The Fraud Support Team within VS gives emotional and practical help to people who have been victims of financial crime. Each person gets a support plan that fits their needs, which may include:

Ongoing phone support from a trained caseworker– you can work with the same person throughout your case.
Practical advice on how to avoid being a victim of fraud again.
Signpost to other agencies if needed.

The service is independent, confidential, and non-judgmental. Most importantly, it aims to help victims of financial crime. VS is separate from BOI UK, so anything you share with them stays private.

To learn more, visit their website at: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

Will VS help investigate my BOIUK fraud case?

No, VS does not investigate fraud cases for BOI UK.

Can VS Provide any financial support?

No, VS cannot give financial support or compensation.

How can I be referred to VS?

BOI UK customers can call a dedicated phone number for VS:

0808 168 9024 (available Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm).

You can also ask to be referred to VS when reporting fraud to us.

Report Fraud

To report fraud, you can phone us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the phone numbers below:

Phone from UK

Freephone: 0800 121 7790 (personal customers)

Freephone: 0800 032 1288 (Business On Line and Global Market Customers)

Phone from ROI

Freephone: 1800 946 764

Phone from outside UK and ROI

Not Freephone: 00353 567 757 007

If something looks like fraud on your account, we may phone you or send you a text or email to ask about it.

Lost or stolen card?

If you think your card has been lost or stolen, please phone us right away on these numbers.

We’ll cancel your card as soon as you tell us it’s missing and get a new card sent to the address we have for you in 5 to 7 working days.

See payments you did not make, paid from your account?

If you see payments you did not make, paid from your account, or anything that could be fraud please phone us right away on these numbers.

Shared your online login details?

If you have given your online banking details to someone, please phone us right away on these numbers.

Report a suspicious email or text

If you think an email or text from Bank of Ireland UK looks suspicious, send it to 365security@boi.com

Fraud prevention in Bank of Ireland UK
How do we prevent fraud?
Keeping your account safe is a top priority for us. It’s also important for you to protect yourself from fraudsters. We care about the safety of our staff and customers. Our Security teams work day and night to make sure our bank is a safe place to work, with plans, processes, and controls in place to protect your money.
How do we protect you?
Online Security
Our online banking websites are secure and encrypted to keep your information safe. Please use a secure browser to see your account details and make payments. We also use a firewall to protect our internal bank network.
Logging in and Timing out
When you log in to Bank of Ireland 365 online, we’ll ask for:
1. Your own User ID
2. 3 random digits from your 365 login PIN
3. A push notification will be sent to your registered mobile device or PSK asking you to approve the login by swiping.
This information is encrypted and stays private unless you share it.
- For Business Online customers, you can see your last log-in details when you log in, so you’ll know if someone else has accessed your account.
- If you’re inactive for a while, your online banking session will log you out after 5 minutes.
Two Factor Authentication
- You need Two Factor Authentication to add or change a payee on 365 online.
- We’ll send a code to your registered mobile phone or send it by post if you prefer.
Protecting your business with Bank of Ireland Approve
- Business On Line uses HID Approve. Approve has been developed by BOI’s chosen security partner HID Global, an industry leader in secure authentication solutions.
- Approve creates unique, one-time Secure Codes for logging into Business On Line and authorising payments and payees.
Approve offers the following security benefits:
- You need a PIN to generate Secure Code. Each code is used only once and expires once used after 60 seconds.
- Approve doesn’t store any information.
- Approve only works on your registered device, with your own Business On Line User ID
- The app is registered to the individual user.
- The Business On Line Administrator can lock a User’s profile if needed (for example, if the User go on holidays, etc.)
Read more about Approve here
Daily Control limit
- The Administrator and your relationship manager will set a Daily Control Limit (DCL) on your Business On Line profile.
- This limit reduces the risk of fraud.
Delayed Payment options
When making a bank transfer, you can schedule the payment for a later date instead of sending it right away. You can cancel the payment up until midnight the day before it’s due by using the BOI app or 365 online. This delay lets you think things over and talk to a trusted person or your bank before sending the money.
Card Spend Alerts
Card Spend Alerts is a new service that Debit and Credit Consumer customers can use. You must opt in for this service. If you opt in, whenever you attempt a transaction using your card (whether the transaction is successful or not), you will receive a spend alert push notification to your device in near real time. This allows you to monitor whenever transactions are being attempted using your card.
Protect your Business from Fraud (Business On Line customers)
We have created a helpful checklist of tools available through Bank of Ireland Business On Line to help protect your online banking security here

Customer education and awareness
How do we educate our customers about fraud?
We keep our customers informed in many ways:
Online & Social Media
Our Security and Fraud area on the Bank of Ireland UK website has a wide range of information on current scams and types of fraud. It also provides tips on how to protect yourself.
You’ll find Fraud Alerts on topics like Data Breaches, Phishing, Money Mules, Boiler Room Scams, and CEO fraud.
We also support the national Take Five campaign, which gives simple advice to help you avoid financial fraud.
We send educational content in statement emails and have fraud prompts on our Internet Banking App.
We share fraud awareness posts on our social media platforms.
We also provide general guidance on staying safe online, including advice on anti-virus software, operating systems, browsers, and firewalls.
Our ATMs show fraud warnings, reminding you to guard your PIN.
Branch
Our branches have fraud education material and our staff are trained to spot scams when processing payments. They are also trained to identify fraud and assist victims, including invoking Banking protocol when necessary. We frequently update branch colleagues on the latest fraud trends and scams.
Training
All Bank of Ireland UK colleagues must complete annual mandatory training which covers a broad spectrum of fraud education.
A new fraud education and awareness framework has been developed, which includes fraud awareness events for customers and community and in person or virtual sessions for colleagues.

Contact
How and when we contact our customers
We contact our customers through email, phone, text and letter. It’s important to always make sure you’re speaking to the right person.
We have security measures in place and offer tips on our website to help you spot fake messages. Here are some examples:
One-time passcodes – When we need to confirm your identity, we’ll send a unique code to your phone.
The text will say what the code is for, like setting up a new payee. You should only share this code with a Bank employee. If someone asks for the code for any other reason, don’t give it to them.
If you get a code you did not expect, call us on 0800 121 7790.
Text Alerts – If we see something suspicious or need to contact you, we might send you an alert by text or email. While we might ask you to reply, we’ll never:
- Include a link to a log in page
- Ask for your full security number, password, or card number
- Ask for answers to your security questions
If you’re not sure that a message is real, call us on 0800 121 7790.
How and when to contact us about fraud
If you think you are a victim of fraud or need fraud advice, you can contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find our phone numbers here.

How we work with the rest of the industry
We work with others in the industry to fight fraud and protect our customers. Here’s how:
- We are members of UK Finance and take an active part in all Industry Fraud initiatives.
- We are members of CIFAS – The UK Fraud Prevention Service.
- We contribute to the funding of the DCPCU, a national police unit formed between the City of London Police, the Metropolitan Police Service, UK Finance, and the Home Office.
- We share fraud intelligence with other banks and law enforcement to protect our customers.
- We are a signatory to the Take Five Charter which gives our customers the latest advice on fraud prevention.
- We are a participant of the Banking Protocol which helps protect customers from fraudsters and rogue traders.
- We work with other banks to quickly recover fraudulent funds for our customers.

Summary
We are the Partnership Bank.
We offer simple, flexible, financial services to UK customers both directly and through partnerships with well-known UK brands. Technology is making it faster and easier to manage your finances anytime, anywhere. As more customers use phones, tablets, or computers for banking, we’re dedicated to keeping their accounts and information secure.

Complete Banking Fraud Control Comparison Data
For the complete Banking Fraud Control Comparison Data, please click here.

Take Five to Stop Fraud
Criminals stole a total of £1.17 billion through authorised and unauthorised fraud and scams in 2023. Banks were able to stop £1.2 billion of unauthorised fraud, which was 7% more than the previous year.

We can all help to reduce financial losses by remembering these steps:

STOP – take a moment to STOP and think before parting with your money or information.

CHALLENGE – Could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore requests. Only fraudsters will try to rush or panic you.

PROTECT – Contact your bank right away if you think you’ve been scammed. Also report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.

If someone asks for your personal or financial information, stop and think. Even if they claim to be from the bank, police, or another trusted group, you need to take time to stop and think about what’s really happening.
You already know these basic rules to prevent fraud – just take a deep breath and stay calm to remember them.

Never share your security details, like your PIN or full banking password.
Don’t assume an email or phone call is real.
Don’t be rushed – a genuine company will wait.
Trust your instincts – you know if something doesn’t feel right
Stay in control – don’t panic or make a decision you’ll regret.

UK Finance educational material

Take Five to Stop Fraud

For more information on the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, including advice for both individuals and businesses visit: https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

UK Finance has worked in collaboration with the Met Police to create the Little Booklet of Investment Scams. This booklet covers the top eight investment scams and offers tips on how you can protect yourself. Click here to download it.

Scamwise NI

Scamwise NI aims to teach people about the dangers of scams and how they can protect themselves. It encourages open conversations about scams to help everyone recognise them.

Scamwise NI recommends using this simple scam test:

Seems too good to be true
Contacted out of the blue
Asked for personal details
Money requested

Then it is most likely a scam!

To learn more about scams and how to avoid them, check out these resources from Scamwise NI:

Brochures

To learn how to protect yourself from fraud, read our guidance. It will help you spot common scams and avoid them. To read and download our brochures, please see below:

Business Banking
Business online fraud checklistViewPrint
Protect your business from fraudViewPrint

Security at home
Cyber Security - protecting family onlineViewPrint
Actions you can take to stop a fraudViewPrint
Cyber Security – online & phoneViewPrint
Cyber Security – kids & teensViewPrint

Scamwise NI
Little book of cyber scamsViewPrint
Little book of big scamsViewPrint

ROI customers – please click here

Report Fraud

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