Scams & Fraud Awareness

What is fraud

Fraud occurs when someone carries out an unauthorised transaction on your account — a payment or withdrawal you never initiated or approved.

What is a scam?

Unlike fraud, a scam involves being manipulated into willingly sending money to a criminal — often called an Authorised Push Payment (APP) scam. Criminals frequently pose as trusted institutions, colleagues, friends, or well-known brands, using convincing emails, calls, and text messages to gain your trust.

Common types of scams

• Impersonation scams — criminals pretend to represent your bank, payment provider, or law enforcement, claiming there is suspicious activity on your account and urging you to move funds to a so-called 'safe' account.
• Investment fraud — you may be pressured into putting money into schemes or products that are entirely fictitious.
• Romance scams — a fraudster builds a fake relationship to earn your trust, then asks you to send them money under various pretexts.
• Marketplace fraud — goods are listed for sale online but either never arrive or turn out to be far inferior to what was advertised.
• Employment scams — fake recruiters offer appealing roles but require upfront fees for training or vetting, then vanish once paid.
• Crypto scams — leveraging the hype around digital currencies, criminals lure victims with promises of guaranteed high returns.

Protecting yourself

• Treat any unexpected contact from an authority figure with caution — especially if it arrives without warning.
• Always confirm a caller's or sender's identity through an independent channel before acting on their request.
• Only send money when you are completely certain of the recipient's identity.
• Keep your login credentials, PINs, and one-time passwords strictly private. Stream Money will never ask you to share these.
• If you receive an unsolicited call, look up the organisation's official number and call them back separately.
• Before committing to any investment, carry out your own research and consult Trading Standards if anything seems unclear.
• Verify that the company or individual you are dealing with is FCA-authorised by searching the Financial Conduct Authority register.
• Shield your screen when entering PINs or passwords at ATMs or in public — be alert to anyone watching or trying to distract you.
• Review your account activity regularly and report any unfamiliar transactions to us straight away.
• Always sign out of your banking session properly rather than simply closing the browser or app.
• Make sure websites display a padlock icon and use https before entering any personal or financial details.

Warning signs

• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is — trust your instinct and walk away.
• Unexpected emails or messages should always raise a red flag; pause and question anything that feels off.
• Poor grammar, spelling errors, or unusual formatting in communications are common signs of a scam.
• Pressure to 'act now' or face consequences is a classic manipulation tactic.
• Be cautious of unsolicited requests to download files or follow unfamiliar links.
• Promised returns that dramatically exceed normal market rates are a hallmark of fraudulent investment schemes.

How to report fraud

If you think your account has been compromised or you've been targeted by a scam, please reach out to our team without delay.