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Stay safe online

Everything you need to know to stay safe and secure while you're getting help

Some of our clients have told us they’ve been sent messages, or had phone calls, from companies pretending to be us.

Scams aren't just restricted to 'phishing' emails nowadays. Dodgy companies may send you texts, instant messages or SMSs that look like they're coming from a genuine organisation. These companies will ask you to send personal information.

Whether you’re new to us, or already a client, we’re committed to keeping your details confidential, safe and secure. We want your experience with us to be as stress free as possible, so we want to be clear about how we'll ask for information and how you should send it.

What details will you ask for while I'm getting debt help

We’re here to help you by giving expert debt advice, recommending debt solutions that are right for your situation and providing support once your chosen solution is underway.

So we can give you tailored advice, we’ll ask you to tell us information about your finances, such as your income, outgoings and debts. Once you’ve chosen a debt solution we may need you to send us a copy of your information to get everything set up.

How will you ask for my information to be sent?

When you complete your debt advice session, we’ll send a personal action plan detailing your available debt solutions.

Different solutions need different supporting information but typically we'll require proof of income and debts. No matter what information we need to help you, we’ll only ever ask you to send it to us one of two ways:

Through the post
In an email either from your computer or phone

Your personal action plan will tell you which address to send your information to. You can also find our main address and all our phone numbers on our contact page.

We'll not ask you to send your information to us through a social media app

Derek, Nottingham

"They showed exceptional empathy.

All communication was clear and understandable.

I cannot speak too highly of them."

How will you contact me?

You’re in control of how we get in touch. We’ll only contact you in the ways you asked us to when you spoke to us. If you change your mind, you can update your preferences at any time.

We never use WhatsApp or similar messaging apps to ask for your details. If you see a message claiming to be from us on a messaging app be very wary.

If you do receive anything suspicious, simply get in touch with us and we’ll investigate.

I'm worried about a message I received. What should I do next?

If you receive a message and you’re not sure if it’s from us, try not to panic. Don’t respond to the message, click any of the links or send any information.

Get in touch with us using the numbers we've listed on our contact page so you know you’re talking with us. We’ll be able to verify whether or not your correspondence is genuine.

If it isn’t, you can report fraud, cyber crime and phishing attempts to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2014 or completing their online fraud reporting tool, anytime. Their phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.

You can also report fraud to the Financial Conduct Authority who regulate companies offering financial services in the UK.

Our top tips for staying safe online

Unsure about what you've received? - Phone the company the message is supposed to be from and ask them who sent it. Make sure you only use numbers from their official websites and don't click on any links in your message.
Check your search results - If you're searching for a company on Google or Bing, before clicking a link make sure you're going to that companies official website. The links at the top are usually ads and may not be for the company you're looking for.
Look at the ‘from’ email address – Misspelled names or slight variations of a legitimate company’s email address are usually a giveaway.
Poor spelling and grammar – If there are spelling mistakes, the email isn’t written well or there are grammar errors it may not be very trustworthy.
Personal information- Scammers will be keen to access personal details so be cautious of messages requesting lots of information. Most companies don't ask for that much information over email.

For more information on staying safe online, read our MoneyAware blog post of tips to avoid online scams.