Fraud Protection

Fraud is a criminal act to deceive you and take your cash – it's a transaction that you didn't know about or authorise. For example, fraudsters may use your details to open accounts under your name or your business.

A scam is where you’re tricked into making or authorising a payment to a criminal’s account. Scammers impersonate banks and official organisations using emails, phone calls and texts that look and sound genuine.

Ransomware: strengthen your digital defences

Ransomware is a type of malware that disables your IT system and prevents you accessing your data, usually by encrypting files. A criminal group will then demand a ransom in exchange for decrypting your files.

Ransomware is now the biggest cyber threat to most UK businesses. Are you prepared for an attack?

How to avoid falling victim to ransomware attacks:

1. Ensure you backup files and systems, and store them in a different location from your network or in a cloud service designed for this purpose
2. Develop robust business continuity plans, describing what to do in the event of a ransomware attack. Plans should be reviewed regularly and should include the following as a minimum:
   • Contact details for the IT department (especially if external to the organisation)
   • Detail and location of critical data
   • The contact details for the National Cyber Security Centre to report the incident https://report.ncsc.gov.uk/
   • How to report the incident to your bank
   • How to bring your system back up securely
3. Test your plans and incident management processes – ensure senior stakeholders are involved and become familiar with the plan.

Please visit our ransomware page for more information on how to prevent ransomware and what to do if you’re a victim.

Are you insured against cyber-attacks? For information and support visit the Association of British Insurers (ABI) website^