Vishing is where a fraudster uses voice messages or phone calls to try to steal identities, and financial information like your PIN, card details and Digipass code.

The term comes from the combination of ‘phishing’ and ‘voice’. Phishing is where fraudsters use email, regular phone calls and fake websites to dupe people into giving them personal details and financial information.

Vishing is specifically the use of a VOIP service (Voice Over Internet Protocol, or an internet phone service), which enables fraudsters to communicate with their potential victims via automated voice messages and the phone keypad.

Vishers can create fake caller ID profiles so that their phone number seems legitimate, and vishing requests sound urgent, to panic the victim into acting without thinking.

 Examples of vishing:

• Your bank account has been compromised
  You receive call from what appears to be Triodos Bank’s phone number. When you answer, you hear a recording pretending to be from Triodos, saying that your bank account has been compromised, and you need to call a freephone number to reset your security details. Calling this number, you would hear another automated message asking for your bank account number, Digipass code or other personal details via the phone keypad.
• You’re eligible for a loan
  You are offered loan or credit terms too good to be true (they probably are), and to receive the money, you just need to pay an upfront fee or provide your security details.
• You’re due a refund
  You receive a message that says you are due a refund. This is usually someone claiming to be from a trusted organisation. If you opt in – usually by pressing a number on your telephone - you will be redirected to a call centre agent who will attempt to defraud you or steal your information.
• Don’t miss this investment opportunity
  An automated voice message tells you about an investment opportunity too good to turn down. You’ll be encouraged to transfer money to invest in a company or service that doesn’t exist.
• You’ve won a prize
  Victims hear an automated voice message about a free offer or prize, and just need to pay postage, redemption or admin fees to claim. There’s often a deadline to hurry people into handing over their card details.

What you can do

If you receive an unexpected phone call with an automated response, hang up, search for the company’s genuine contact details online and check whether the call was legitimate. If it was, the company will be able to help you, and if it was a vishing attempt, letting the company know enables them to take action, and you will have protected yourself from fraud.

If the call relates to an investment opportunity, check the FCA register to see if the investor is regulated, and confirm the company exists by checking Companies House.

How to report a vishing scam

If you think you have been a victim of a vishing attack, call us immediately on 0330 355 0355. Then report to the FCA using their reporting form.

If you have lost money to suspected investment fraud, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Bank impersonation fraud is when a fraudster impersonates someone from the bank in order to trick a victim into making payments to a fraudulent account.

What a fraudster might do:

• A fraudster usually calls their victim, though may use email or another contact method. It’s likely they already know information about the victim, including their name and who they bank with.
• While impersonating the bank staff member, the fraudster might tell the victim their account is under threat and they need to make payments to a “safe account” or set up payments in order to “block the funds”.
• The fraudster might ask for details from the Digipass so they can access the account and make payments to the fraudulent account themselves.
• The fraudster might ask the victim to download screen sharing software so they can view or control the victim’s computer. This can make it easier to take control of the account.
• In any scenario, the fraudster will foster a feeling of panic in order to get the victim to comply with their requests as quickly as possible.
• Fraudsters might also impersonate other well-known, trusted companies such as Microsoft, Apple, BT or HMRC.

What Triodos Bank will never do

• We’ll never call you to tell you to log into internet banking or to make a payment to a “safe account”. If we believe your account to be under threat, we can block the account ourselves and do not need you to do anything from your end.
• We’ll never ask you for your full Digipass number or your Digipass PIN.
• We’ll never ask you to download any software onto your PC or mobile phone.

What you can do to protect yourself

• Never give out your personal details to someone who has called you unexpectedly.
• Never download any software onto your PC or mobile phone when asked by someone over the phone or by email – even if you think you are speaking to a trusted organisation.
• Never give anyone your Digipass number or your Digipass PIN. Triodos will never ask for this information.
• Do not let someone else use your Digipass – even a colleague or family member. Your Digipass is assigned to you as an individual and must only be used by yourself. If you leave your place of work, please let us know and we can arrange for your Digipass to be cancelled.
• If you are unsure about someone who has called you claiming to be from the bank or another company, hang up and call back on the company’s published telephone number.

Did you know you can now replace your digipass with the Triodos Mobile Banking App? Find out how. 

If you need a new digipass because the battery is low (when it displays 5%) please let us know and we will send you a replacement. You should receive this within 5 business days.

We will replace your digipass free of charge when the battery level is 5% or less. In our experience when it proactively displays “Low Battery” it will still have quite a long battery life left. You can find out the amount of battery left on your digipass by following these instructions:

If you have the older style navy blue digipass:

• Turn it on by pressing the red power button.
• Press the letter “T” button five times until the display shows “TEST BATT?”
• Press the “=” sign.
  

The display will tell you what percent of battery you have left.

If you have the green digipass:

• Turn it on by pressing the OK button on the lower right of the digipass.
• Press the “>” button four times until you see “5. Info” on the screen.
• Press OK.
• Press the “>” button three times until it states “4. Battery level” on the screen.
• Press OK.

The display will tell you what percent of battery you have left.

If the text is from a sender you know, or from a shortcode (five to eight digits long):

• Reply ‘STOP’. You shouldn’t be charged for this, and it will let the sender know you don’t want to receive their text messages.
• If you’re unhappy about receiving the text or continue to receive them after asking the sender to stop, you can complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) on 0303 123 1113 or online.

If the spoof text message (sometimes known as smishing) is from an unknown sender, or from an organisation you’re not familiar with:

• Do not reply or click on a link in the text. Responding confirms your number is active and could result in you receiving more messages or calls.
• Report the spam text to your network operator. Simply forward the text to 7726. An easy way to remember ‘7726’ is that they’re the numbers on your phone keypad that spell out the word ‘SPAM’. You may get an automated response thanking you for the report and giving you further instructions if needed, like forwarding on the number the spam text message was sent from. You won’t be charged for forwarding spam texts to 7726.
  

Please contact us by sending a secure message in internet banking or call us on 0330 355 0355

As you'd expect from a bank, we take security very seriously - here are some things we do to keep you safe. To help you spot fraud, we’d also like you to know the things we’d never do.

What we do

• Provide around the clock debit card transaction monitoring.
• Provide 24/7 phone support to answer your questions about your debit card.
• Let you freeze and unfreeze your card whenever you need to.
• Temporarily block accounts and debit cards if fraudulent activity is suspected.
• Automatically log you out of Internet Banking and the app after a period of inactivity.
• Keep you up to date with fraud protection advice.
• Send text alerts when online or card transactions are made.
• Temporarily suspend your Internet Banking if left dormant for a long time.

What we’ll never do

We will never contact you out of the blue to ask you:

• For your mobile app passcode.
• For your digipass PIN.
• For your card number or PIN.
• To transfer money out of your account.
• To click a link in an email to our Internet Banking.
  

If in doubt, call us on the number on our website, or delete the email without opening it.

Learn more about how to stay safe online or visit the action fraud website.

Setting up a Direct Debit should be done through the company who will be claiming the Direct Debit. You can cancel a Direct Debit in Internet Banking by going to Self Service, Account settings, then Direct Debits, however you will need to contact the company who claim the Direct Debit to cancel it with them as well.

The Internet Banking log in screen has three different tabs for you to choose from.

• Log in with digipass.
• Log in with username and password.
• Log in with Mobile App.

Select the option that is right for you and follow the on-screen steps.

If you are a business customer and have requested a digipass that hasn’t arrived, or you have lost a digipass, please contact us.

If you receive a call from Triodos, we’ll be happy for you to question who we are and call us back on the number published on our website, just to make sure. If you can, call us back from a different phone, as an extra safety precaution. Fraudsters can clone numbers, so it may look like the number we use to call you.

We will never call you to ask you to transfer money or for your Digipass codes, and we will never ask you to download software onto your device. If someone calls pretending to be from Triodos, and they ask you to do these things, hang up immediately and report it to us on 0330 355 0355.

Our primary feature regarding the digipass device is that of security. Our current providers VASCO have confirmed that the digipass can be recycled and if you wish to return your digipass to us if you no longer require it we will recycle it securely on your behalf.

A security word is a word chosen by you to help us verify your identity when you phone us or at any other time when we need to validate that it is you asking us for information or to do something on your account(s) . The security word is a memorable word chosen by you and can be anything you want. You will have provided this either as part of an online or paper application, on a form you’ve sent us by post or you may have set or changed it when you were logged into your internet banking. For example it could be a memorable name or place or something that means something to you. For additional security we do not provide any guidance on what this word should be.  

If you hold Savings accounts only with Triodos you will use a username and password to log into your Internet Banking. If we are unable to match the information you have entered on our username reminder request page with the information we hold on record you will need to contact us. We will be able to send a username reminder email to your registered email address. When calling us, please have your account number and security details at hand.

Start by going to our website www.triodos.co.uk and in the top right-hand corner you'll see a link for "Log in" to Internet Banking.

If you have set up the Triodos App, you can log into Internet Banking using the app’s QR scanner on a second device. You can find more information on how this works here.

If you’re a Current Account customer and you do not use the Triodos App you will need your digipass and PIN, and details regarding the security word you set up when applying for the account.

If you’re a Personal Savings or Investments customer and do not use the Triodos App, you will need your username and password.

Fraudsters often look for data on people that they can use to impersonate or defraud them.

They may research you or your colleagues, so we advise that you educate your staff about protecting their data and ensure they are fraud aware too.

What kind of data might a fraudster steal?

• Personal details, such as your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.
• Contact details like your mobile phone, landline, work number and email address(es).
• Memorable information used for security and passwords, such as mother’s maiden name, schools or university attended, pet names, car makes and names of family members.
• Your bank account number, sort code and card details.
• PINs, passwords, Digipass number or other login details.

Ways fraudsters might get hold of your data:

• Social media and online forums – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit – all public platforms could hold a wealth of information about you, your employees, your business and your customers.
• Your company website – if your business has a website, consider what information you include. We advise you not to put your bank details on your website, as fraudsters can use this to impersonate you or your bank.
• Competitions and quizzes – particularly those found on social media websites.
• Calling you and pretending to be a trusted organisation.
• Companies who sell your email address or phone number - always read terms and conditions when signing up for a product or service.
• Bank statements, post and paper documents. Always lock away documents that hold sensitive information and destroy them when no longer required.
• Hacking into email accounts. Ensure your IT systems are secure and be wary of using shared internet connections outside of work. Consider that your suppliers, customers and partners can also have their emails hacked. We recommend that you do not share sensitive data via email – if you need to, encrypt the information with a password.
  

You can cancel a standing order through Internet Banking or through the Triodos Mobile Banking App.

In Internet Banking, go to your account, select ‘Upcoming’, select the Standing Order you wish to cancel, and select ‘Delete’.

In the Triodos Mobile App, go to your account then the ‘Upcoming’ tab and select and delete the payment.

You can request a temporary increase to your account daily payment limit in either Internet Banking or the Triodos Mobile App. You can increase your limit up to £2 million for Savings Accounts, or £3 million for the Personal Current Account. You can set your higher daily payment limit for up to seven days.

Personal Current Account Payments

When paying another account with another bank, for payments over £20,000 you will need to request a temporary payment limit increase.  Once you’ve made the request for the temporary limit increase it can take a minimum of four hours for it to take effect. CHAPS payments must be made before 2pm if they need to be received by the end of that working day. Foreign payments must be made before 1pm if they need to be sent that day, but please be aware they can take up to 10 working days to arrive. We therefore recommend you make the temporary daily limit change the day before to ensure you can make the CHAPS or foreign payment on time. You can set the maximum temporary limit increase of £3 million for up to seven days.

For payments over £250,000 : If you do not have a digipass, once you have authorised the payment in Mobile App or Internet Banking you will have to call our contact team to go through extra security checks.

As with all payments, please check the bank details you are paying to are genuine and correct before making the payment.

Savings Account Payments

If you want to make a payment for more than £20,000 you will need to request a temporary limit increase and wait a minimum of four hours before you can make the payment. You can set the temporary limit increase for up to seven days and the maximum you can pay is up to £2 million per day. Payments over £100,000 in one day will have to be made as a CHAPS payment with a fee of £20.

If you are paying more than £20,000 in one go from your Savings Account to your Personal Current Account, to then make a CHAPS payment of over £20,000 to another bank account, you will need to increase the payment limit on both of your accounts.

How to make the temporary payment limit increase

You will be able to make the temporary limit increase in the Triodos Mobile Banking App or via Internet Banking.

In the Mobile App go to ‘More’ then ‘Account Settings’ and select the account you wish to apply the temporary change to. From there, choose ‘Daily limit per transaction’ and fill in the temporary change with the amount and for how long you’d like this temporary change to be available.

In Internet Banking go to ‘Self Service’, ‘Account Settings’, ‘Daily Limit’, here you can request the temporary payment limit change.

Once you’ve submitted the request you’ll need to wait four hours before it goes live, we’ll send you an email confirmation once it has.

Development is ongoing so you may have to go back to old Internet Banking for some features and services, we’ll always tell you when this will happen.

We’re bringing Internet Banking up-to-date to be simpler and easier to use. More touch screen friendly. Easier access to your day-to-day banking needs.

Development is ongoing so you may have to go back to old Internet Banking for some features and services, we will always tell you when this will happen.

Watch our video on the new Internet Banking to see the improvements that we have made.