Push Payment Fraud

Online banking makes managing money easier for the general public, however criminals are taking advantage of this ease of banking and using it to defraud the public.

Criminals can pretend to be from somewhere official, for example your bank or the tax office. They can contact you by email, phone, SMS or Social Media, they then warn you of fake suspicious or criminal activity on your bank account. They will tell you that they have set up another 'safe' account for your funds and ask you to transfer your own funds into what is actually their account.

How to protect yourself

• Be suspicious of a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from a position of authority.
• Write down the person's details (name, position, department, branch, contact number) then verify them using independent source contact details.
• A genuine official from the Police, your bank, HMRC or any other trusted authority will NEVER call you to ask you to verify your personal banking details, PIN or password, or threaten you with arrest.