Be fraud aware

Unfortunately, fraudsters see times of uncertainty as an opportunity. Stay alert to suspicious emails, calls or texts claiming to be from us or your bank, and to anyone claiming they can help you protect yourself from coronavirus or even cure it.

Some common scams are:

• click here for a cure
• COVID-19 tax refund
• safety measures
• the virus is now airborne
• donate here to help the fight.

Only use Government and NHS websites, or reputable news outlets for the latest coronavirus information. Treat emails and text messages that you’re not expecting with caution, and think before you click on links.

We will never call, email or text you or ask you to do any of the following:

• share your account details like user ID, password and memorable information.
• tell us your memorable word for telephone access to your account.
• move your money to another account.

If you think you’ve been the victim of a fraud, please get in touch. You can contact us by phone on 0345 850 0469, speak to us on web chat or email us.

Phishing emails look like they come from a person or organisation you trust, like a bank, credit card company or shopping website. Fraudsters use this trust to trick you into giving them personal information.

Ask yourself:

• Is it asking for personal details like your login ID, password or security questions? (At Skipton we’ll never ask for this information.)
• Is the sender’s email address different from the trusted organisation’s website address?
• Have you been addressed with your full name? ('Dear Customer' might be a sign something is wrong.)
• Does the wording include a threat? (Like 'unless you act immediately, your account may be closed'.)
• Does the email have an unexpected attachment? (If it does, don’t open it.)
• Did the email come out of the blue?

Fraudsters usually try to trick you into going to the website by saying you need to update your password to avoid your account being suspended, or the email might suggest you’ve won a prize. A link in the email itself will take you to a website that looks exactly like the genuine page. However, it's actually a fake designed to trick you into entering personal information.

If you're in any doubt, don’t open any links, attachments or respond to any requests for personal information. And if you’re unsure about an email, text message or phone call that appears to be from Skipton Building Society, call us on 0345 850 0469.

Vishing means 'voice phishing' and involves fraudsters calling you, pretending to be a person or organisation you trust like a bank or the police. Fraudsters use your trust to trick you into giving them personal information – they might already have carried out research to find some basic personal information so they’ll sound more convincing.

• Even if you recognise the phone number, remember that it's easy for fraudsters to make any number appear on your screen.
• Be wary of someone claiming to be from the police or a government agency, asking for your account details. The police or government wouldn't ask you to pay a fee or request bank details over the phone.
• If someone asks for your PIN, online username or password, alarm bells should ring. A genuine bank or building society will never request this information from you.

If you’re unsure about an email, text message or phone call that appears to be from Skipton Building Society, call us on 0345 850 0469.

Smishing means 'SMS phishing' and involves fraudsters sending you text messages, pretending to be a person or organisation you trust. Fraudsters use your trust to trick you into giving them personal information. They’ll usually tell you there’s been fraudulent activity on your account and will ask you to call a number or visit a fake website to update your personal details.

• If you're suspicious of the text, phone the company back on a trusted number, or visit their website by typing their web address directly into your browser.
• Don’t click on any links, or copy and paste anything from the message itself.

If you’re unsure about an email, text message or phone call that appears to be from Skipton Building Society, call us on 0345 850 0469.

You're at risk from pension fraud even if you're not a pensioner. Unfortunately, following government reforms introduced in April 2015, pension scams have become increasingly common.

It’s not just retirees who are affected, because defined contribution pension holders can now access their entire retirement fund from age 55. People are being encouraged to withdraw from their pensions and put money into schemes that offer large returns for a short-term investment. The 'investment' is actually deposited into a fraudulent account.

If you're under 55, you might be approached by someone promoting the benefits of early pension release schemes, and encouraged to access your pension early. The funds would actually be transferred into overseas schemes (with extortionate fees) or placed into high risk investments. And once money is transferred into an early release scheme, the scammers could take all of your pension pot.

Early pension release schemes are not authorised by HMRC and funds withdrawn will be charged anything from 55% to 70% in tax. The government only allows early access to pension funds in very limited circumstances. If you’re considering entering a scheme to access your pension before 55, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recommends seeking professional advice.

Firms, individuals and other bodies regulated by the FCA are unlikely to contact you unexpectedly or pressure you into making a decision. If they do, you should report them to the FCA straight away. If you’ve been approached by someone, you can check if they’re regulated by searching the Financial Services Register online – there's no charge.

If you're approached about your pension, warning signs include:

• being contacted out of the blue with cold calls, texts, emails or by door-to-door salespeople
• feeling pressurised into making a quick decision by pushy sales techniques
• being told you're being offered the best deals, like guaranteed returns.

Criminals will use a stolen identity to obtain goods or services by deception. Victims often don't even notice the fraud until they receive an unexpected bill or start having problems with their credit rating.

If fraudsters can find out enough information about you, they can impersonate you and open new accounts, credit cards or loans in your name. Or they might take control of your existing accounts by impersonating you and changing the address of your account.

• Always dispose of unwanted documents securely, for instance by shredding. Fraudsters use paper documents like bank statements and mobile phone bills, and they might even go through your bins.

Information you post online can leave you vulnerable. Fraudsters use social media to gather information about people from social media too – addresses, children's names, pets' names and check-in locations.

• Review your social media privacy settings regularly, including updating passwords on phones and personal computers. Don't share too much personal information

If you think your identity might have been stolen – speak up. People who experience identity theft can feel embarrassed about being misled. But don’t be: scammers are extremely cunning and can deceive anyone.

Investment scams

If you're being bombarded with phone calls, letters or emails pressuring you to invest quickly, you might have been targeted by investment scammers. They might also send you glossy brochures and investment certificates. Scammers deliver a polished sales pitch and often present offers as ‘exclusive’ and tell you not to discuss them with anyone else. They offer investments in ‘unique commodities’ like wine, land banking, carbon credits, diamonds and graphite. Potential victims will be promised high returns but these will usually be worthless.

Share fraud and boiler room scams

Victims are sold overpriced or non-existent shares, usually with the promise of high returns. The fraudsters are usually highly trained and employ high pressure sales tactics to convince you to invest with them. They'll provide convincing statistics with a very short timescale to make a decision. Some will advertise in national press and set up fake or cloned company websites.

Some scammers pretend to be from authorised companies and will cold-call investors to promote investment opportunities that are non-tradable, worthless, over-priced or non-existent. They use the name and Financial Conduct Authority register number of a real company to appear genuine. If you feel suspicious about a firm that has approached you, check their registration number on the FCA website. The FCA register also tells you the switchboard number of the real firm, which you can call to check if the contact you’ve received is genuine or not.

Unregulated investments

You might be offered an investment opportunity from a firm that isn't regulated by the FCA. Please be cautious: if they’re unregulated, you have no protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, and you will be unable to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if something goes wrong.

This happens when someone gives you a cheque they know you can’t cash. There are several variations of this scam, for example:

Protect yourself by:

Please speak to us if you have any worries about cheque fraud.

A Money Mule is someone who helps criminals launder money. Money Mules can be willing participants who know about the crime, or they might be tricked into it.

Innocent people will be persuaded into receiving money into their own accounts, then sending the money on. They'll usually be given a payment or ‘salary’ for doing this, and might have been led to believe they've been employed by a legitimate company.

Money laundering is the process of making illegally-gained finances appear legal. The funds are normally from the proceeds of crime. Money Mules could be criminally prosecuted for carrying out the transactions, their accounts could be closed and they could be held liable for the value of the transactions they received.

If you've got any concerns about being asked to carry out transactions through your own account on another person's behalf, please speak to us. Alternatively, report it to the police by calling the Action Fraud line on 0300 123 2040.

Often these cases begin with unsolicited visits from trade or salespeople at home. They might claim to have identified home maintenance problems just by looking at your property from the outside.

They'll try to pressure you into agreeing to expensive work. They'll usually ask for payment or a large deposit upfront. An individual may even try to gain money by befriending potential victims to gain their trust.

If you agree to this kind of scam, the work might never be started or, if work begins, might be done badly.