- Do not keep your cheque book and cards together.
- Do not allow anyone else to use your card.
- Do not tell anyone else your PIN, password or other security information.
- If you change your PIN, you should choose your new PIN carefully. You can change it at any Visa ATM machine by choosing the relevant option.
- Try to remember your PIN, password and other security information, and destroy the notice as soon as you receive it.
- Never write down or record your PIN, password or other security information.
- Always take reasonable steps to keep your card safe and your PIN, password and other security information secret at all times.
- Never give your account details or other security information to anyone unless you know who they are and why they need them.
- Keep your card receipts and other information about your account containing personal details (e.g. statements) safe and get rid of them carefully.
- Take care when storing or disposing of information about your accounts. People who commit fraud use many methods such as ‘bin raiding'(Accessing your waste paper bins / trash to access personal information in order to steal your identity) to get this type of information. You should take simple steps such as shredding printed material.
- Visit our page on Safe Banking Tips which provides further guidance on how to protect yourself against fraud. In addition, you can also visit Take Five and Action Fraud which are external organisations providing impartial advice for protecting yourself against fraud and scams. Another useful website is CIFAS, which provides information regarding identity fraud.
- When you write a cheque, it will help to prevent fraud if you clearly write the name of the person to whom you are paying the cheque, and put extra information about them on the cheque (e.g. XYZ Bank, re [the person's name], account number xxxxxx), especially if you are not personally paying a cheque in (e.g. because you are sending a cheque by post).
- If you are making a cheque payable to a bank or a building society, do not make the cheque payable simply to that organisation – add further details in the payee line (e.g. XYZ Bank, re [the person’s name], account number xxxxxx). You should draw a line through unused space on the cheque so unauthorised people cannot add extra numbers or names. This provision is designed to prevent, as far as possible, cheques being intercepted in the post and paid into the wrong account. The more details about the true payee, and the fewer the empty spaces on the cheque, the less likely it is that it can be tampered with and used fraudulently.
What should you do if you lose your cheque book, passbook or card, or if someone else knows your PIN?
If you suspect or discover either of the following, it's essential that you tell us as soon as you can:
- Your cheque book, passbook or card has been lost or stolen
- Someone else knows your PIN, password or other security information
The requirement for customers to inform their bank or building society as soon as possible of any losses etc, rather than immediately, is to cover situations where the customer is unable to give immediate notice for a good reason.
The best way of telling us about any loss will usually be by calling us on 0344 412 4444 (Calls to this number use free plan minutes if available, otherwise they cost the same as 01/02 prefix calls). You can also email us or visit any of our branches.
Online banking
Online banking is safe and convenient provided you take a number of simple precautions. Please make sure you follow the advice given below:
- Keep your PC secure. Use up-to-date antivirus and spyware software and a personal firewall
- Keep your passwords and PINs secret
- Treat emails you receive with caution and be wary of emails or phone calls asking you to reveal any personal security details
- Neither the police nor ICICI will ever contact you to ask you to reveal your online banking or payment card PINs, or your password information
You can also get good advice from Bank Safe Online.
Cancelling payments
If you want to cancel a payment or series of payments you have authorised, you should do the following:
- To cancel a cheque or standing order, you must tell us (we cannot cancel cheques covered by a cheque guarantee card)
- To cancel a direct debit, you can either tell the originator of the direct debit or tell us. We recommend you inform us and the originator of the direct debit.
- To cancel a recurring transaction you must tell the originator. We recommend you keep proof of cancellation.
It may not be possible to cancel payments if you don't give enough notice of your decision to cancel.
Liability for losses
If you act fraudulently, you will be responsible for all losses on your account. If you act without reasonable care and this causes losses, you may be responsible for them.
Subject to our personal banking terms and conditions, we will be responsible for any unauthorised transactions that you tell us about in accordance with the terms and conditions (if we suspect fraud or that you have been grossly negligent, we will investigate the transaction and will only be responsible if/when we have concluded that there has been no fraud and you have not been grossly negligent). Where we are responsible, we will immediately refund the amount of the unauthorised transaction and any resulting interest and charges. We will have no further liability to you.
You will be responsible for all losses if you act fraudulently or if you allowed another person to use your card or your account.
You will be responsible for all losses arising from unauthorised transactions on your account as result of:
- You acting fraudulently, or
- You intentionally or with gross negligence failing to use your card, telephone banking services and/or online banking in accordance with the terms and conditions (including keeping safe your card, PIN and any other security or personalised details), or
- You intentionally or with gross negligence fail to notify us in accordance with the personal banking terms and conditions, of the loss or theft of any card, PIN or other security or personalised details.
Your liability for the misuse of the card, unless we can show that you have acted fraudulently or without reasonable care, will be limited as follows:
- If someone else uses your card or someone else knows your PIN before you tell us it has been lost or stolen, the most you will have to pay is 50
- If someone else uses your card details without your permission and your card has not been lost or stolen, you will not have to pay anything
- If someone else uses your card details without your permission for a transaction where the cardholder does not need to be present, you will not have to pay anything
- If your card is used before you have received it, you will not have to pay anything
- After you have notified us of the loss or theft of your card or security details in accordance with section B, clause 8 of the personal banking terms and conditions
We will not be responsible to you if we fail to comply with any of the terms in these terms and conditions:
- Due to abnormal and unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which would have been unavoidable despite all efforts to the contrary; or
- Where our failure to comply is due to our obligations under law