Fraudulent emails - phishing
Phishing is a criminal activity, commonly used to fraudulently trick people into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an electronic communication. It is typically carried out using email or an instant message, although phone contact has been used as well.

It typically works as follows; A fraudster sends out a fake email designed to appear as if it comes from a reputable source (such as Northern Bank). The email can also include a link to a site that apparently leads to a reputable website address, but which in fact is a counterfeit site. After logging on to this bogus site, the customer is asked to enter personal information such as name, address, account number and credit card number. Any information keyed in on this page is passed on to the fraudsters.

If you receive an email that appears to have been sent by Northern Bank that requests you to enter personal information such as your account number or credit card number, do not reply and do not follow the instructions - even if the e-mail suggests that you need to take immediate action to stop your account being frozen, or it indicates that you may incur a fine if you don't.

Northern Bank will never ask for personal information through email, and will not have sent this email.

If you suspect a phishing attack, call us at 0845 6 031534.


Security systems
Northern eBanking offers two security systems: e-Safekey and ActivCard. Both solutions meet the same strict security requirements. The one you should choose depends on the type of computer you use.

Read more about security and Northern eBanking.

The Internet
Since all PCs connected to the Internet can find one another fairly easily, unprotected PCs can become easy targets for hackers. You should therefore take certain precautions and be aware of your own security status on the Internet.

Read more about security and your PC.