Security Zone - Personal

Please note, we will never ask you for the following –

• Your PIN number – whether this is the PIN for your online portal or your prepaid card, this information should always be kept to yourself and never divulged.
• Request for remote access to your device – Moneycorp staff will never request remote access to your device. Our staff will offer to help you by talking you through the steps on how you carry out a transaction or a process. Should someone purporting to be from moneycorp (either by email or phone) ask to take control of your device this indicates that the person is not legitimate and we would request you contact customer services as soon as possible.
• Request a full copy of your bank card number (UK Only) – Moneycorp staff may from time to time request a copy of your bank card in order to validate payments. However we do not require, and will never ask for the full card number and will instruct you to mask a specific number of digits of the card. So, should you be requested for a copy of the front and/or back of your card WITHOUT being masked please treat this request with suspicion and contact Moneycorp customer services as soon as possible.

Moneycorp want you to have the best and safest possible experience; as part of our protection we may need to:

• Validate new Beneficiaries – When setting up a new beneficiary we may occasionally carry out a call back to verify the new instruction. In addition, for your protection, Moneycorp may also send you an SMS and/or email notification when a new recipient is set up on your account. If you receive one of these messages and do not recognise the new banking details, please contact us immediately on our customer service number.
• Telephone Identification – We carry out identity verification on calls to protect you and your account.
• Fraud Prevention Tools – As trustworthy and reliable foreign exchange specialist we always have your account security in mind, and to aid in the combat of fraud and cybercrime we have a number of systems working in the background helping to protect your money and data.

• Please ensure you keep your contact details (telephone number, email address, residential address) up to date to allow us to validate and verify you quickly. Please contact customer services to request information on how you can update these details.
• Keep all passwords, PINs and security information safe, and do not write them down or leave them in an area that is accessible to others.
• Always enter our web address (www.moneycorp.com) straight into your browser. Do not use links from emails or any other sites that you do not trust. Always make sure that the padlock symbol is displayed alongside our web address.
• Always verbally check bank details with payees – if an email account has been compromised (yours or theirs), you could be sending your money to a fraudster.

Entrusting your money to somebody else is always a daunting prospect, and moneycorp understands how important it is to repay the faith that has been placed in us. Having operated for 40 years, we have developed a reputation as a trustworthy and reliable foreign exchange specialist.

As an Authorised Payment Institution, we are required to safeguard customer funds held overnight (or longer) into segregated client accounts provided such funds are held in respect of a payment service.

We know that security is one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a payments company, and so if you have any questions about our business practices, please call us on 0207 589 3000 where we will be happy to address any concerns.

One of the primary methods moneycorp will use to contact you is via email. As a result, it is important you have the utmost faith in the communications you receive from us. Whilst the suggestions below should help you identify fake emails, remember that if you have any doubt a message isn’t legitimate, do not reply, don’t click on any attachments, and phone us at your earliest convenience, so we can provide assistance.

Scammers/fraudsters often try to mimic financial institutions. Please look out for giveaways such as:

• Illogical content. Due to the scammers need to hit many inboxes at once, they often go for very broad topics in their emails to fool as many people as possible. If you receive an email that isn’t at all, or is only slightly related to foreign exchange, or doesn’t match an email we have sent you before, contact us to check its validity.
• Email spoofing - Often, scammers will create an email address that is as close as possible to a legitimate ‘@moneycorp.com’ email address, for example, ‘john@moneyc0rp.com’.
• False sense of urgency. Fraudsters often try to use fear to meet their ends. If an email warns that your account will be shut down, or you’ll miss out on a prize if you don’t click on a provided link within a certain time-frame, treat it with considerable suspicion.
• Poor spelling and grammar can be a giveaway- think about whether a reputable organisation would allow an email to go out when riddled with errors.
• Never reply to an email that asks for your username or password, as they will try to use this information to take over your account. Moneycorp will not ask you for your password.

There are many investment opportunities out there and it can sometimes feel like navigating a mine field. Below are some helpful hints and tips on how you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of investment fraud / scam:

• Un-solicited contact – Should you be contacted out of the blue with no initiation of contact on your part, always remain on guard regarding the validity of this approach.
• Application of pressure to complete – Should you feel like you are under pressure to invest immediately (i.e. invest now as this offer is only available for you for the next hour) make sure you step back from the situation and carry out all the checks you need to validate the offer prior to sending any money. Make sure you feel comfortable and not rushed before agreeing to anything.
• Advice and verification – Always seek independent advice before signing up to anything.

Fraudsters are always on the lookout for your details and aim to gather as much information about you as possible, including your date of birth, address, email address and account numbers.

Fraudsters can obtain such information about you from multiple sources, whether this be social media, email hacking or remote access (following a malicious download onto your device).

Should enough of your personal data be obtained by a fraudster this gives them the opportunity to apply for products or accounts using your details. Should you receive a welcome letter or welcome call from Moneycorp and you have not requested for a trading facility to be opened, please notify us as soon as possible so we can take the required actions on the associated facility.

In this modern day we all love an online purchase, however as we move to purchasing things via the internet the fraudsters are also moving too. Please always make sure that the transaction you are carrying out has been validated to the best of your ability and where possible always try and verbally confirm details prior to sending money.

Affairs of the heart generally bring out the best in people and it is this playing on the heart strings that allows fraudsters to obtain their desired outcome. What starts as an online conversation can lead to a long term building of trust with an individual, and before you know it they have your complete trust and affection. In the case of a scam this is when the requests to send money or information may start.

 In order to stay safe from Romance scams –

• Always speak with family or friends to obtain their advice or thoughts on the situation.
• If you have never met them in person or they refuse to converse anywhere other than via online it’s important to not:
  • Send them money
  • Allow them to have access to your moneycorp account on your behalf.
  • To invest money on their behalf or accept funds into your account on their behalf.
• Always stop and take your time before reacting or carrying out any request that involves the sending or receiving of money or personal details. Never allow them to rush you.

This type of fraud typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraudster claims will be used to obtain the large sum. This type of fraud can include (but is not limited to) –

• Lottery Scam – A fraudster may approach you stating that you have won a lottery in another jurisdiction, but to be able to receive the funds you have to send a fee. If you have never played the lottery in the stated jurisdiction this is likely to be a scam.
• Inheritance Scam – A fraudster may approach you stating that a family member that you have never heard of has passed away and left all or part of their estate to you. However you have to pay a Tax or fee to release these funds.
• Rental Fraud – Agreement to rent a vehicle, property or other product or service via an unverified channel (i.e. not a verified rental site or company).

With the ever increasing flow of emails identifying a fraudulent one can be hard. Fraudsters use fake emails as bait to get you to either follow a link, send a payment or divulge a significant amount of personal data. Always check an email’s validity, especially if this is un-solicited contact which you were not expecting. The type of request a fraudster may send will vary, however they may –

• say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts
• claim there’s a problem with your account and/or payment information
• say you must confirm some personal information
• include a fake invoice
• want you to click on a link to make a payment

Tips on how to spot a non-genuine email –

• Check the email domain from where the email has come from – this should align with the organisation/entity where the email is supposed to have originated.
• Check spelling and how the email addresses you – Genuine emails will nearly always be addressed to you personally and should not contain spelling/grammar errors.
• Should the email contain a link always check the URL.  From a desktop device this is done by holding your curser over the link. On a Mobile device press and hold on the URL. In both cases the associated URL will appear indicating where the link will take you to. Genuine links should contain information directly relating to the sender.

An Email Compromise is when a fraudster sends an email message that appears to come from a known source making a legitimate request. Here are some examples of suspicious requests or emails and how to approach them –

• A supplier or vendor you regularly deal with sends an email with different bank account details than normal. If you’re asked to update the bank details you have for a supplier – or if you get sent new bank details to pay a bill – always call a contact you know or can find online independent from the email, to check the request is real. Don’t reply to the email address or use the details they send you, but get in touch directly with someone you already know and trust, or with the business directly using a trusted contact number.
• Spoofed emails address – Your supplier/ vendor email address is @ExampleCompany.com, but the email received has come from @ExampleC0mpany.com. Paying attention to small details such as this may save you big money in the long run.
• Don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message asking you to update or verify account information. Look up the company’s phone number independently (don’t use the one a potential scammer is providing), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate.
• Be especially wary if the requestor is pressing you to act quickly or asking you questions that are not in line with previous communications.

Should you feel any of the above scenarios have occurred please carry out the following –

• Check whether the email compromise has come from your email account or has it come from the senders email account?
• Should it have come from within your email account please make sure to –
  • Run antiviral checks on all your devices
  • Re set passwords for all accounts used and accessed on your  devices
  • Check all account activities and check statements/ transactions to make sure all are correct. Should you identify any transaction that is not genuine please notify us as soon as possible.
• Should it be confirmed as coming from the senders email account please make sure to act with caution when communicating with this individual or company and double check with them that they have carried out the required IT security checks to make sure their systems are safe. In the interim period it is best practice to not communicate via the compromised channel until you are reassured it is safe.