Online fraudsters can use a range of methods including, but not limited to, email, social messaging, phone call or text to encourage you to:
- Click a link or download an attachment
- Give away your personal information
- Share your account login details or credit card details
- Send money directly to their bank account
Attackers may show a good knowledge of who you are and what you are doing. Be careful of sharing facts about yourself online without the appropriate privacy restrictions or in discarding printed communications that detail sensitive information.
Here are some ways in which you can maximise your security:
By Phone
Beware unsolicited calls from any company. End the call and dial the official number should you have any doubts and never give any confidential data or your account/login details over the phone.
By Email
Never click links or download attachments in an email unless you are certain that it is coming from someone that you know. Always check the email address of the sender for variations in spelling. If in doubt, contact the sender directly by manually searching for the company on the website and using the phone number or email address listed.
If you are unsure whether an email you have received is genuinely from EQPay or not, please call your relationship manager. If you believe that you have received a fraudulent email impersonating one of our EQPay team, please forward it to EQPay.PaymentServices@equiniti.com and we will advise you accordingly.
By Text
Some fraudsters send text messages that appear to be from a legitimate organisation. Never send your personal details or passwords via text and try not to click through to any links. Instead, manually use your browser to visit the legitimate website. If the text message requests that you call back a particular phone number, check that this is genuine first.
Password Security
This site provides useful information around creating strong passwords: Protecting yourself – passwords.
In summary:
- Use a combination of upper and lowercase characters, numbers and special symbols to create a long password (at least eight characters)
- Try not to reuse passwords – if one of your accounts is compromised, hackers could try to use that password to login to your other accounts
- Do not write down or share your passwords or login details
- If you need to store your password, do so in an encrypted password-locked vault payments services team on 0844 776 1836.
General online security tips
- Keep your anti-virus packages up-to-date both on your laptop/computer and mobile device
- Use a privacy screen on your laptop when it is in view of other people, especially when handling sensitive information
- Be aware of others around you when talking on the phone and do not openly talk about sensitive information
- Run an anti-virus check on all USB or external devices that you insert into your laptop
- Do not store passwords openly on your phone or laptop in case these devices are lost or stolen
- Social media may feel like a safe place to share personal information such as your date of birth, information about and full names of your family members, names of pets etc. but be mindful that some individuals use information found on social media to compose scams
- When using a shared device, do not tick ‘save password’ or ‘remember me’
- Be vigilant when visiting unknown web pages and when downloading free software on your laptop or apps on your mobile device
- If you work from home, ensure that your Wi-Fi is password protected and uses encryption
Worried about your EQPay account security?
Please contact your relationship manager or EQPay.PaymentServices@equiniti.com immediately if you have concerns about the security of your account.