Security

Scam/fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from Charity Bank

We are aware of scams being run by third parties allegedly sent by Charity Bank using the below names, none of which are connected to Charity Bank. If you receive a suspicious e-mail please contact Charity Bank via enquiries@charitybank.org or call 01732 441900 to verify its authenticity. The names we are currently aware are being used are:

  • Domain names:
    • trumerit.co.uk
    • charitybnkteam@accountant.com
    • fundtransfer@charitybanksecure.com
    • charitybnk@consultant.com
    • service@charitybank.org
    • services@charitybank.org
    • Charitybnk.org
    • Charitybnk.com
    • charitybank@esupportsteams.com
    • charitybank@instantssupport.com
    • charitybnk@financer.com
    • charitybankonlinetransfer@accountant.com
    • paymentdesk@accountant.com
  • Company Names:
    • Charity Bank International
    • Charity Bank Plc
  • Name:
    • Charlotte Price, Executive Vice President
    • Gillian Howell, Finance Director
    • Michael Southwell, Finance Director

If you believe you have been affected by this or a similar scam please report it to Action Fraud on +44 300 123 2040 (even if located overseas), your local police authority and to us via gdpr@charitybank.org.

If you have concerns about personal data that you may have inadvertently shared via a spam e-mail you should also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office on +44 303 123 1113 or via www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/spam-emails/.

Examples of scam e-mails can be found under:

https://scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=185839

https://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=170072

Fraudulent emails

Charity Bank, which operates in the UK only, is aware that fraudulent emails are being received by people in various parts of the world which purport to have been sent by an employee of Charity Bank. Recent examples include promises of inheritance or mobile telephones or other "rewards" in exchange for payment or person data.

Customers should be alert to potential scams and make additional checks to confirm they are dealing with a genuine financial services firm and if they have the correct contact details.

If you receive an email which seems to be from Charity Bank and you wish to verify its validity, then you should ignore the email until you have contacted Charity Bank on enquiries@charitybank.org or 01732 441900.

For personal applications

Once your new account is open and ready to be funded we will send you an email which will show from No-Reply Charity Bank Customer Service with the underlying email address being donotreply.bfa@charitybank.org.

The contents of the email will include your name, the product name of the account, application reference number, sort code and unique account number. These details will be accompanied by guidance on how to use your nominated account to fund your Charity Bank savings account.

For business, charity, trust and credit union applications

Once your new account is open and ready to be funded we will send you an email which will show from No-Reply Charity Bank Customer Service with the underlying email address being donotreply.bfa@charitybank.org.

The contents of the email will include your name, the product name of the account and application reference number. These details will be accompanied by guidance on how to use your nominated account to fund your Charity Bank savings account. The email will also advise that a member of our Savings team will provide our sort code and your unique account number in a separate email ending in @charitybank.org [example: jsmith@charitybank.org}. This is due to these details not being pulled directly from our core banking system.

You will have 14-calendar days from receipt of our notification and the details needed for creating and sending you funds follow the following format:

  • Your account number: [confirmed by us to you]
  • Our sort code: 60-83-16 [Charity Bank]
  • Beneficiary name: [name of account holder individual/organisation]
  • Payment reference: [application reference number]

Please make sure your bank correctly quotes the reference when they make a payment, otherwise it may be rejected and returned to you without interest. You will earn interest from the business day(s) on which the payment was received.

Confirmation of Payee

Confirmation of Payee (CoP) is a name checking service for UK-based payments which Pay.UK launched in 2020 and which has now been successfully implemented by a number of large UK banks, building societies and other payment service providers (PSPs). The aim of the service is to reduce certain types of fraud as well as misdirected payments. Charity Bank has not been mandated or implemented CoP.

Before the service was implemented a payer would provide their PSP with all the payee’s details, including their bank sort code and account number together with the name of the person or organisation they were intending to pay. The sort code and account number were then used to route the payment in accordance with the instructions given, however, there was no facility for the payer to check and confirm the name on the account being paid ahead of the payment being sent.

Your bank [where you hold your nominated account] may offer this name checking service.

When you make a one-off payment (in this case to fund your new Charity Bank savings account), set up a new regular payment or amend an existing payment, CoP lets you check you’re paying the right person or business.

Please note that as Charity Bank has not yet implemented CoP checks it means that when you are creating the new payee and payment file it will not result in a match and advise that you check the details you’ve entered are correct before going ahead.

Should you require any support you may contact our Savings team by phone: 01732 441944 or by e-enquiries@charitybank.org. You can also find out more about our Saving team here.

The external links below provide further information on where to seek additional information and guidance on how to avoid fraud.

Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Notify us at gdpr@charitybank.org if you do suspect that you have received a suspicious email (and haven’t already been notified by us that you have been affected).

As a reminder of best practice, we would urge you not to share personal details via email.

Information Commissioner’s Office – information about data protection and advice line:

W: https://ico.org.uk/ T: 0303 123 1113

To report spam email to the ICO: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/spam-emails/

To view advice on identity theft: https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/identity-theft/

To check whether your email account has been compromised: https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Website Cloning

Fraudulent websites can be set up that clone genuine websites. Charity Bank only operates from www.charitybank.org.

The names we are currently aware are being used are:

  • Website clone address:
    • trumerit.co.uk

How to avoid fraud

The external links below provide further information on where to seek additional information and guidance on how to avoid fraud.

Financial Conduct Authority: www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams
Please refer to the website of the Financial Conduct Authority for more information about how to deal with scams.

Action Fraud: www.actionfraud.police.uk
The national fraud and internet crime reporting centre.

Money Advice Service on scams: www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/beginners-guide-to-scams
Useful tips to protect yourself from scams and identity theft.

Which Scam Alerts: www.campaigns.which.co.uk/scam-alert-service

Free alerts to keep you updated on the latest scams circulating online and on social media.