Banking and card fraud

Bank account fraud has taken place if transactions you haven’t made show up on your bank statement. It often happens as a result of identity theft, when cards or bank account information have been stolen from you.

To help protect yourself against banking fraud:

• Shred letters or documents containing your personal details before throwing them away.
• Never give out your pin code or online banking passwords – even to a caller claiming to be from the police or your bank. A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account.
• If you do receive an unsolicited call requesting your personal information, ask the caller for a switchboard number, which you can use to call them back.
• Don’t click on any links or open any attachments from an unsolicited email. Doing so could allow fraudsters to access to your information or infect your device with a virus.
• Don't send or receive private information when your device is connected to public Wi-Fi – unless you’re using a secure web page.

• Check a cash machine every time you use one. Always cover the keypad when entering your PIN and don’t make it obvious which buttons you’re pressing.
• Some cash machines are built entirely by fraudsters. Be cautious using a ‘standalone’ machine, rather than a ‘hole in the wall’, which is embedded in the front of a building such as a bank.