Fraud guide

If you don't recognise a transaction on your account, or if your HSBC debit card has been lost or stolen, call us immediately.

Account fraud and lost or stolen debit cards

• HSBC Premier customers call: +44 1534 616 313
  
• HSBC Advance customers call: +44 1534 616 212

To help us act fast, please have your 10-digit Personal Banking Number (PBN) and 6-digit Telephone Banking PIN to hand - along with details of the transactions you don't recognise.

• If you are in the UK call: 0800 085 2401
• From outside the UK call: +44 1442 422 929
   

If your HSBC credit card has been lost or stolen - or you suspect that it has been used fraudulently - contact our 24 hour helpline immediately. We'll cancel your card, issue a replacement and credit your account in full for any unauthorised transactions.

If you suspect that a fake HSBC Expat account has been opened in your name or have received a suspicious email or phone call claiming to be from HSBC Expat please call us immediately. 

• Non-HSBC customers call: +44 1534 616 313

Just so you know, we may monitor and record your communications with us. This is in the interest of security and to help us continually improve our service.

We want you to be aware of the ways criminals may try to steal your money. Scammers could contact you by phone, text or email, claiming to be someone in a position of trust, such as a bank employee, a utility company representative or even the police. Once they have gained your trust, they will request sensitive information - information we would never ask for such as your PIN or password - which allows them to access your account.

If you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud please contact us immediately.

Fraudsters call out of the blue claiming that a fraud has already happened, or is imminent. They may have some information about you, and pose as bank staff, the police and other officials in a position of trust. They will then try to persuade you to:

• transfer money to another account for "safekeeping" or "holding"
  
• withdraw cash and hand it over "for investigation"
• divulge private information, which they can use to gain access to your finances

In many cases, they will suggest you hang up the phone and call them back on another number. But, it is easy for them to keep the connection open and intercept the call, so all the information you think you're giving to your bank is actually going to them.

It's important to remember:

• be wary of unsolicited phone calls, especially if you are asked to provide personal information
• if you are suspicious or feel vulnerable, end the call and refuse requests for information
• the display on your called ID could be falsified through "call spoofing" to show as a genuine bank number
• HSBC will never call you to ask you to generate a Secure Key code or ask for your PIN
• never share your security details with anyone else
• criminals already may have some basic information about you (name, address, account details) but you should not assume that a caller is genuine because of this

Be wary of unsolicited emails that appear to be from your bank and contain links to websites which ask you to provide personal information. Emails may appear to be from a legitimate site and often warn that your account may be shut down unless you take action. These emails are designed to steal your private information to gain access to your accounts.

• Do not reply to or click on a link any email that you are not sure is genuine
• Contact the company, using an authenticated telephone number
• If the email claims to be from HSBC forward it to phishing@hsbc.com and delete it

Things to look out for:

• poor spelling and grammar
• requests for confidential information such as your internet banking details, passwords, account numbers or PINs
• instructions to reply, complete a form or document attached to the email or click through to a fake website in order to verify your account.
• don't open attachments or click on links if you suspect they may not be genuine.