Staying secure online

Staying secure online

Customers of firms offering financial solutions like Charities Aid Foundation and CAF Bank are increasingly the target of online or card fraud. Every sector is seeing increasing growth in the number of people who are being targeted by phone or email scams.  

These attempted frauds and scams are run by criminal organisations who are technologically sophisticated. They contact customers claiming to be from a company that a customer already has a relationship with to try and get their bank log-in or credit card details in order to steal money from them.

• What is "Vishing" and "Phishing"?
• Avoiding online fraud
• Top tips to stay secure online
• How to report issues to us
• Other sources of information

What is "Vishing" and "Phishing"?

"Vishing"

This involves a fraudster making phone calls to a victim, posing as bank staff, the Police or other officials or companies in a position of trust. The call may be made to coerce you into:

• sending your money to another account often purportedly for ‘safe keeping’ or ‘holding’
• withdrawing cash and handing it over to the fraudster for investigation
• giving out personal financial information, which can then be used to gain access to your finances

Ways to protect yourself from vishing:

1. Be wary of unsolicited approaches by phone, especially if asked to provide any of your personal information.
2. If you are suspicious or feel vulnerable, don’t be afraid to terminate the call and, say no to requests for information.
3. Remember, it takes two people to terminate a call, so ensure the caller has also hung up and you have a clear line – you can use a different phone line to test the number.
4. Be wary of fraudsters using ‘call spoofing’ to deliberately falsify the telephone number relayed on the caller ID, making it look like a genuine bank telephone number.
5. Never share your security details with a third party. It is important to keep your account and security details safe. We will never ask you for your PIN number or full security code word over the phone. 
6. We will never send someone to collect your debit or credit cards from you.

Criminals may already have basic information about you in their possession (i.e. name, address, account details), but do not assume a caller is genuine because they have these details or because they claim to represent us or another legitimate organisation.

“Phishing”

Fraudsters send emails directing you to websites where you are asked to provide confidential personal or financial information. Whilst these emails may appear to come from a legitimate site or email address, they are designed to steal your personal information and use it to access your accounts. Do not reply to or click on a link in an email that warns you that your account may be shut down unless you confirm your personal information. Instead contact the company in a way that you are sure is genuine, such as an authenticated telephone number.

You should delete these emails immediately.

Avoiding online fraud

You can be assured that CAF and CAF Bank:

• will never issue you a Security Challenge when you log in to our site. You should only respond to the normal log in pages you recognise. Report anything untoward;
• will never email or call you to ask for your online passwords or pin numbers;
• will never ask you to text personal or banking information;
• will never send you an email with a link to a page which asks you to enter your online banking login details; and
• will never send someone to your home to collect cash, bank cards, or anything else.

Top tips to stay secure online:

1. Be aware of fake emails and websites

Criminals use fake emails and fake websites to trick people into giving away passwords, bank details and other personal information. A criminal might send you an email that looks like it comes from us and it might contain a link to a website that looks legitimate but when you try to log in they can steal your passwords and personal information.

You can often spot fake websites:

• The site doesn’t display the padlock symbol or ‘https’  in the address bar when you log in.
• They ask you to do something unusual or unexpected.
• They are poorly designed and contain typos or bad spelling.
• They are from suspicious looking email or web addresses.

If you have received an email which you believe to be fake, please forward it to scamreporting@cafonline.org

2. Install anti-virus software

Anti-virus software helps protect you, your privacy and your money. Viruses can steal personal information, take over your PC and can use your computer to attack other people’s machines. You may often hear them called malware, Trojans, spyware or adware.

3. Update your web browser

Modern browser software adds protection against fake websites. Make sure you install the latest version of your web browser. They are free to download. Try Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer 10. Use Safari only if you work from a Mac, not a PC.

4. Follow the Terms and Conditions of  your account

See section 11.9 “Site and Internet Security” in the CAF Bank General Terms and Conditions.

How to report issues to us

If you've received a call or email claiming to be from CAF or CAF Bank and think it might be a scam, then it’s important that you report it to us so we can investigate on your behalf.  If you see an unusual page or request for information, especially your security credentials, when using our website, you should let us know by calling CAF Bank on 03000 123 456 or the CAF Customer Service team on 03000 123 000.

If you get an email claiming to be from us asking for personal information, please forward it straight away to scamreporting@cafonline.org or telephone us on 03000 123 456 or 03000 123 000.

More sources of information for staying safe

Further information and advice to stay safe online is available from the Cyber Street website, a government campaign led by the Home Office. 

And if you believe you have already been a victim of fraud of any kind, please report it to the Action Fraud helpline.