Customer Security Tips

Phishing

Phishing involves fraudsters posing as a legitimate source – e.g. a bank or business – in order to send fake emails to thousands of recipients to encourage the receiver to provide sensitive information or click links to fake websites.

Tips – Check for obvious indicators. Common indicators of phishing emails include:

• Grammatical errors
• Low quality graphics/images
• Addressee – is the email addressed to you by name or is it addressed more broadly e.g. sir/madam, customer etc.?
• Urgency – is the email encouraging you to take action quickly i.e. click here immediately?
• Links and attachments – unless you are confident the email is legitimate do not click any links/attachments

If any email appears to be fraudulent, we recommend deleting the email from your inbox.

Vishing and smishing

Vishing (voice phishing) and smishing (SMS phishing) involve fraudsters calling or texting purporting to be from the police, utility providers, delivery companies or even your bank.

Criminals call unexpectedly and may claim to be your bank, the police or another trusted organisation like your broadband provider. To make the call seem more convincing they may already have some information on you, such as your account number or address. They can also make the call seem authentic by making their phone number look like a number you know and trust. This is known as ‘number spoofing’. The caller will then try to persuade you to:

• Transfer money to another account for ‘safekeeping’
• Withdraw cash and hand it over ‘for investigation’
• Give private information, which can then be used to gain access to your finances
• Smishing is similar — but is carried out through SMS text message

If a call or text does not feel right please end the call/delete the SMS and contact us via a different medium to confirm the authenticity.

Investment fraud

You may be targeted by cold call, emails, or social media advertisements where you will be presented with investment opportunities with amazing potential returns that transpire to be fake. Scammers may make these look more legitimate through the use of celebrity endorsements, cloned website of reputable investment firms or fake testimonials.

The scammers may try to add pressure to transfer funds by pressuring you to act quickly or miss out.

Common markets scammers often encourage investment in include cryptocurrency e.g. bitcoin, precious metals and FX Currency.

Cost of living scams

Scammers are using the current cost of living crisis in the UK to target individuals with illegitimate emails in order to steal consumers sensitive banking and personal information, or download malicious files onto your personal or work devices.

Please be extra vigilant if you receive emails, texts, calls or letters which claim to be or reference:

• Energy bill rebates
• Cost of living payments
• Fuel vouchers
• Supermarket discounts

Check website URLs

• On sites that require you to input personal or payment details, look for ‘https’ in the website address – the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’, though be aware that this does not guarantee the website is genuine
• Avoid using websites that display an IP address (e.g. http://192.123.4.1) in your web browser’s address bar instead of the domain name (e.g. https://www.dfcapital.bank)

Keep your computer secure and up to date

• Install anti-virus software from a well-known and trusted company
• Always keep your operating system, internet browser and security software up to date. This will help to keep your device secure
• Only download files and software from trustworthy sources
• Run regular security scans on your devices

How we will communicate with you

At DF Capital we use a Secure Messaging Service provided by Mimecast to ensure your personal information is treated with the highest level of care. Mimecast is a global company which provides email security services.

Once you have opened a Savings account with DF Capital you will receive all email correspondence through our Secure Messaging Service, this will include emails with any personal details including account details. The Secure Messaging Service will hold all emails in a secure account for you to login at any time and view. You are also able to respond to the messages using the same system. You can find out more about our Secure Messaging Service here. If we contact you by telephone, we will never ask for all of your personal or security information and will never ask you to make a payment into a different account.

Action Fraud

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime.

Take Five

Take Five is a national campaign offering straightforward, impartial advice that helps prevent email, phone-based and online fraud – particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations.