How We Protect You | Ulster Bank

We’re committed to helping you stay safe and secure online and are continuously investing in new fraud prevention tools and the latest security technology to keep you protected online.

Following a review of our existing services, we have formed a partnership with Malwarebytes, a provider of industry recognised cyber security solutions, to make their Malwarebytes Premium product available for free (RRP £49.99) to our customers on up to 10 devices of their choosing.

During this initial phase the product will be available to our Personal Anytime Banking customers, initially to a small pilot group until early next year. The Bank will be looking to make the product available to our business and Bankline customers early in 2020.

Find out more

Why have I received a replacement debit card that I haven’t requested and before my existing card has expired?

We proactively issue replacement cards when there is a risk that the details of your existing card have been compromised.  We act quickly to get a new card delivered whilst your existing card remains active with the aim of protecting your account whilst minimising inconvenience to you.  

How do you know my debit card details are at risk of being compromised? Can you tell me how it happened?

Our fraud systems are constantly looking for indications that card details have been compromised. Once detected we do everything necessary to protect your account and one of the steps is to replace your card. 

There are several ways your card details could have become compromised or known to another person. A shop you have used online may have lost some of their customer details; another individual may have simply copied your details; or you may have used your card in a shop or at an ATM that had a card skimming device attached to it. These are just a few examples.

Although we can’t tell you exactly how or when your card details might have been compromised, rest assured we are committed to protecting your account from fraud.

What should I do next? 

• Start using the new card straight away, with your existing PIN. We’ll cancel your old debit card shortly  
• Check your transactions on the Mobile app, Online banking or your regular statements. 
  If you see a transaction you don’t recognise you can find more information about the retailer and how to report fraud here
• If you want more information about managing your debit card you can find it here

How can I protect myself from fraud?

You can find useful information in the Fraud Guides about the more common ways that fraudsters target personal information as well as tips for safer shopping. In summary, we recommend that you:

Ensure you have up to date anti-virus software on your device. We offer Malwarebytes free of charge, you can find more information here

Research and consider whether the retailer is trustworthy before making a purchase with card details.

Check the retailer website is secure – look out for 'https' or the padlock icon in the address bar.

Regularly check your transactions on the Mobile app, Online banking or your regular statements and report any unrecognised transactions to us immediately.

Keep your card information safe by not responding to suspicious or unexpected calls, emails or texts asking for card details.

Whether you’re paying a company, a friend or your dog walker, you want to be confident the payment you’re making is sent to the right person.

That’s why we’re introducing Confirmation of Payee (CoP); a name checking service that checks the name of the account holder you intend to pay - along with the sort code, account number and account type (Personal or Business) - against the details held for that account, giving you greater confidence you’re paying the right person. While many UK banks will be introducing CoP, they may launch this service at different times. So it’s also really important anyone who needs to pay money into your account knows your first and last name as it appears on your bank account.

Why are we doing this?

Our priority is to keep your money safe and secure. We’re introducing this name checking service to help protect you from so called “authorised push payment” scams. These are scams where people are tricked into sending money to criminals, who often pretend to be people they are not. It will also help avoid simple mistakes like mis-typing account details when you set up a new payment

How does this work?

When you set up a new payment using online banking or the mobile app, the account holder’s name will be checked against the account details held with their bank. We’ll then tell you if the details you’ve entered match, giving you more confidence you’re paying the right person

• Our registration journeys ask for the customer’s personal account information, which only they should know.

• Our login processes need the right information, in the right order and customers are only allowed so many incorrect attempts before the system locks down for security.

• When you log in to our Anytime Banking service on a lot of browsers, you’ll notice that the address bar (which starts ‘https://’) turns green. This shows that the website has an extra level of security.

• Our mobile apps also have biometric security enabled, so logging in can be even more secure through Apple’s Touch ID or Android Fingerprint.

• When you first enrol for Anytime Banking you will be given level 1 access, meaning that you are limited to making balance and transaction enquiries or moving money between your own accounts. To access level 2 services, like 3rd party payments on online banking, you will need a card reader and a debit card.
  
  The card reader is a security device that works with your Anytime Banking service to provide an extra layer of protection against online fraud. The card reader also allows you to set up new payments, change your details and more.

• In the app, a One Time Passcode will be sent to the mobile number we hold for you on the banks records before you can use services like Pay Someone New.

• Ulster Bank Secure provides you with additional security when shopping online at participating merchants. On selected transactions we may send you a passcode for verification. Simply ensure that all your contact details including your mobile number are up to date with us so when using your card and verification is requested against a transaction, we can send you a One Time Passcode to your chosen contact method.

Guidance on updating phone number and email address are available

• All payments are analysed for irregularities by our profiling engine. All communications from your computers or mobile apps are encrypted.

• If we hold your mobile number, we will send you an SMS to confirm some activities on your account and check that it was you that made the transaction or changed some of your information, so it is important that we hold up to date contact numbers for you. If we suspect or become aware that your account may be subject to fraud, we will attempt to contact you.

• Sometimes a fraudster may steal some of your security details and try to access your account through Anytime or mobile banking. We temporarily disable online accounts if too many unsuccessful attempts have been made to log in.

Regular tests of our mobile and online banking systems are undertaken by independent industry experts to ensure our services meet the highest standards of security. All of our websites are monitored and protected from sophisticated attacks such as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service).

Whether you’re banking online or using our Mobile Banking app, rest assured you are protected by our Secure Banking Promise.

1. We'll refund any money paid out of your account by a fraudster, as long as you’ve kept your security information safe

2. We'll protect you 24/7 by monitoring your account and using the latest technology to keep you safe

3. We'll help you protect yourself with tips on staying secure and free tools for extra protection

Remember to take sensible precautions

Keep your antivirus and firewall software up to date.

What is Natural Language Call Steering (NLCS) and Why Are We Introducing It?

NLCS is a function we are introducing to our Ulster Telephony services.  You will be asked to state how we can help you rather than use the push button functionality of the old IVR system. Based on what you say, NLCS will route the call appropriately once you've been ID’d – this will either be into the self-service options, or to the right colleague.