Banking and shopping online safely

Online banking and shopping are safe for most people most of the time. The problems usually come from a fake link, a fake shop or a reused password, rather than from the bank itself.

A handful of habits removes most of the risk.

Getting to your bank safely

Use your bank's official app, or type the address yourself and save it as a bookmark
Never log in through a link in an email or text, however genuine it looks
Use a password for your bank that you don't use anywhere else
Switch on the extra security your bank offers, such as app approval or text codes
Keep your phone and computer up to date

Spotting a fake shop

Fake shops often appear in social media adverts with prices that seem too good to be true.

Prices far lower than every other shop
No proper UK address or phone number
A web address that doesn't quite match the brand name
Asked to pay by bank transfer rather than by card
Reviews that are all very recent, or all suspiciously glowing

Pay in the safest way

Paying by credit card for purchases over £100 gives extra legal protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Debit cards and PayPal also offer ways to dispute a payment. A bank transfer to a stranger is the hardest payment to get back.

On a shared or public computer

Avoid banking on a library or hotel computer. If you must, always log out fully and never let the browser save your password.