A guide to fraud and cyber awareness.

In order to provide you peace of mind as you expand your online activity with the Society, we are committed to assisting you in protecting you from fraud and scams. This quick guide will help you to understand what to look out for to keep your money and information/data safe and to help you stay one step ahead to try and avoid you becoming a victim of fraud.

Building societies and banks have noticed a rise in the number of customers targeted by fraudsters’ more creative financial scams.

We take looking after your money very seriously. Therefore, we’ll never call, email, text, or request that you do any of the following:

• Ask you to move your money to a safe account
• Give us any of your passwords or memorable words for your accounts
• Ask you to click on a link in an email from us. Please do not click on any links in emails that appear to be from us if you have reason to believe they may be phishing attempts. Instead, always use a separate internet browser window and visit our website this way.

If you are ever concerned about an email, text or phone call claiming to be from Suffolk Building Society, don’t hesitate to contact us by email at [email protected] or by phoning us on 0330 123 0723.

The safety of your personal information is our top priority when using our online service. We are aware that you may be hesitant about managing your finances online, but we want to reassure you that we are committed to making your online experience as safe as possible.

Setting up a strong password

It is vital that you select a secure password as you will be required to use this when setting up our online service:

You will be required to create a password that is a certain length and contains a certain number of characters on our website. Please refrain from sharing your password with anyone, and keep in mind that no Suffolk Building Society employee will ever ask you for it.

At Suffolk Building Society, we are committed to helping and supporting our members to stay safe online. Here are our 10 key points to be aware of:

1. Never share any of your passwords/login details and change them on a regular basis. Don’t use the same passwords for different accounts.
2. Make sure your password is as secure as you can by including three unrelated six letter words. This can help to make the password longer and can be more effective than shorter passwords with a mix of characters.
3. Use two-factor and multi-factor authentication. This will add an extra layer of security if you are trying to login to an online banking facility.
4. Install the latest security software on your computer to make sure you are protected against online threats. Ensure it is regularly updated, including OS updates.
5. Look out for fake emails, text messages and social media messages claiming to be from a trusted organisation when they are not. This is defined as ‘phishing’. These will often be a message you’re not expecting. They may have a generic style, with email addresses not matching the organisation name. Many fraudulent emails may use a real company logo to lure someone into thinking it is trustworthy. Phishing emails often include grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. This means spam filters look out for certain words and phrases, so misspelling these can give a greater chance of the email avoiding a spam folder. It also means the scammer avoids wasting time on anyone who might realise it’s a scam before parting with any money.
6. Be aware of phone calls claiming to be from a trusted organisation when they are not. This is defined as ‘vishing’. Fraudulent calls often convey a sense of urgency and may say there is an issue with your account, or a payment problem to get your attention.
7. Click links with caution. Search for official company websites in your browser rather than following links. These links often ask you to input passwords or payment information and allows criminals to access your personal information.
8. If you have the facility to set up a fingerprint or face recognition on your phone, do it! It will help if your phone was to get into the wrong hands.
9. Make sure you log off when you are finished using an application, especially if you are using a public computer/device.
10. Be wary of what you are sharing and tagging on social media. It allows scammers to potentially identify you.
    Remember, if an offer seems too good to be true, it often is!

Various programmes and initiatives have been put in place to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of fraud or scams. UK Finance’s ‘Take Five’ campaign provides guidance to assist everyone in defending themselves against financial fraud.

‘Take Five’ recommends three steps for staying safe: STOP, CHALLENGE, PROTECT.