We take the protection of your accounts/information and our building society seriously.
Make yourself fraud aware to reduce the risks of being the next victim by reading our fraud and security sections below.
If you receive account opening documents for an account you have not applied for, please contact us immediately on 0345 734 4345 so we can close down the account.
In such scenarios, we advise victims to check their credit files for any other indications they are victims of identity theft (e.g. Experian/Equifax/etc.), and report such attempts, even if no money has been lost, to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk.
We take security seriously at Newcastle Building Society. These are some of the details of how we protect both you and our building society.
Fraud detection
Our dedicated Financial Crime Team, Customer Service Advisers and Cashiers monitor unusual account activity for indicators that may suggest someone has gained access to your account (account takeover) or opened a fraudulent account in your name (identity fraud). We may on very rare occasions delay account opening, delay transactions or freeze your account in order to reduce any threat of fraud.
Change of details
We will notify you if anyone attempts to change your address, nominated bank account (the account you can transfer funds to and from) and email address, so that you can let us know if any such change was not done by you. Make sure you keep your contact details up to date so that you are notified as quickly as possible and let us know immediately on 0345 734 4345 if you believe something has been changed without your authority.
Nominated accounts
To reduce the risks of fraudulent withdrawals we do not allow customers to have more than one nominated account. In addition, we will notify you of any changes to the nominated account number. Please let us know immediately on 0345 734 4345 if these have been changed without your authority.
Account opening documents
These will only be posted to your verified residential home address. Should you receive account opening documents for an account you have not applied for, please contact us immediately on 0345 734 4345 so we can close down the account.
In such scenarios we advise victims to check their credit files for any other indications they are victims of identity theft and report such attempts, even if no money has been lost, to Action Fraud on www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Do you think you have been a victim?
If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, let us know immediately by speaking to one of our team on 0345 734 4345.
In addition report any acts of fraud to Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Don’t be the next victim of fraud. Make yourself fraud aware and protect yourself by following some of our useful tips below.
Fraudsters use very convincing techniques to access your funds and personal information. If in doubt, ask us first by contacting us direct.
Tips to protect your accounts:
For online customers, change your password immediately after you receive it.
- Never share your passwords or PIN numbers with anyone else. If you lose your User ID/password/PIN, or suspect that the information has been discovered by someone else, please contact us immediately on 0345 734 4345. The Society cannot be held liable for unauthorised use of your User ID / password information.
- If you lose your account passbook, inform us immediately on 0345 734 4345 or visit us in branch so the book can be cancelled.
- Ensure your passwords are strong. This generally means a mixture of upper and lower case letters as well as numbers and special characters. Avoid using anything that can be easily guessed (e.g. your birthdays, name of your child, etc.). It is also advised to use unique passwords for all of your online accounts. We would recommend the use of a Password Manager to assist you with remembering many different passwords.
- For online customers of Newcastle Building Society check the date and time you last logged in. Make sure they are correct.
Tips to protect your information:
- Your personal details are valuable. Be very careful who you share them with. Fraudsters use the telephone, the internet, postal services, high street surveys, door to door sales and any other method they can to obtain this information.
- Be careful not to disclose too much on social media sites. Avoid publicising holiday dates and putting photographs on social media while you are away. Fraudsters (and thieves) will use this information to their advantage!
- Never respond to suspicious emails or emails asking you to divulge personal identity or access information. If you are in doubt that the email is from Newcastle Building Society, contact us and ask.
- Ensure you shred or destroy any documents that detail your personal information before throwing them away. These documents hold valuable information and can even be used to prove your identity.
- Ensure you keep financial organisations up to date with your contact details so you are made aware of changes to your personal details.
Tips to protect your computer
Home computers are often a popular target for fraudsters, looking for credit card numbers, bank account information, personal details and anything else they can find. A few simple security measures will help to reduce the risks.
- Make sure your computer is protected with up-to-date firewall and anti-virus programmes. This can reduce cyber threats by up to 80%.
- Be very careful with any links or attachments on an email. Visit the webpage via a search engine if in doubt.
- If you run Microsoft Windows, run the Windows update feature regularly or even better, leave the default settings of Automatic Update enabled so that this is done automatically for you.
- Take care when downloading and installing programs. There are lots of free programs available, and we all like a bargain, but consider what you're downloading before you do it. Downloads may contain a virus, or cause your computer to act in an unexpected way.
Be aware of scams
Make yourself aware of some common scams by familiarising yourself with our “common scams” section below.
In many situations Newcastle Building Society will not be able to recover funds that have been withdrawn by you following a scam. However, it is important that you notify us immediately so we can attempt to limit any losses. You should also report the crime to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Trust your instinct and don’t share too much personal information.
Newcastle Building Society will never email you asking you to:
- request personal information via an email.
- transfer funds for security reasons.
- provide your full password.
Here are some tips:
- Check the email address. Does it look suspicious?
- Check that the email is addressed to you. If it is generic e.g. ‘Dear Customer’, be especially suspicious!
- Be wary of hyperlinks and downloads. If you are in any doubt go direct to the website via a search engine. Hovering the mouse over a hyperlink shows you the true address behind the link.
- Be wary of any emails and content referring to security issues.
- Does the content look right? Poor design, spelling and grammar are red flags that something is not right!
For more information on scams and types of frauds visit www.actionfraud.police.uk
Newcastle Building Society has been informed of a phone scam whereby members of the public are being cold called and informed they can reclaim charges or refunds for products such as Payment Protection Insurance (PPI).
The caller states that the service requires payment of an upfront fee and requests either bank details or for the fee to be paid by purchasing a 'Ukash Voucher' and providing the serial number for the voucher. Incidents of this nature should be reported to your local Police Authority (telephone: 101), or to Action Fraud www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Where Newcastle Building Society establishes that a customer is entitled to a refund of fees, charges or payments made to the Society, there will be no requirement for the customer to pay an upfront fee in order to obtain the refund.
Newcastle Building Society's online accounts are a safe and convenient way to manage your finances online and these details refer to all products that can be viewed or managed online.
We take every step we can to protect your money but it is important that you take precautions to safeguard your account. Find out more.
The Society has a range of policies, procedures and system controls in place to protect and safeguard customer’s personal data.
Such controls are aligned to the eight principles of the Data Protection Act and are subject to regular monitoring, testing and review to ensure they remain sufficiently robust.