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Learn some simple habits to help improve your cyber awareness and protect you from online scams and suspicious messages.
Phishing
Duration: 00:01:24
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Phishing
[Woman]
Phishing scams, also known as email scams, are when fraudsters create the illusion that they're your bank or a trusted organisation.
They'll try and trick you into clicking fake links, leading you to revealing your personal information.
They'll probably tell you your account is at risk, say your password is about to expire or convince you a recent payment wasn't received.
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Warning!
Change Password!
Payment Error!
[Woman]
The links in the email aren't as they seem.
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Downloading Malware
[Woman]
They'll lead you to a website that might download malware.
Then as if by magic, the fraudsters have direct access to your personal information.
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From: fraud@H5BC.co.uk
Hi there,
Unexpected activity reported.
Your account has been compromised.
Please click here to verify immediately.
Thanks!
HSBC Customer Service
[Woman]
You can stay one step ahead of fraudsters tricks by hovering your mouse over the links so, it shows you the real destination.
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www.maliciouswebsite.com
[Woman]
Checking the email address is spelt correctly and is coming from who they claim to be.
Watching out for generic greetings.
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Hi there
Greetings
[Woman]
Most official emails will contain your name.
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Dear Madam
Hello!
Dear Sir
[Woman]
Thinking twice about emails that ask you to act quickly.
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Highlighted text - Please click here to verify immediately.
[Woman]
And remember,
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And remember, HSBC will never:
[Woman]
HSBC will never ask you for your personal information via email, convince you to share your one-time codes or Secure Key Code, scare you into giving away your personal information or email you a link that takes you directly to a login page.
If you think you've been a victim of fraud, call the number on the back of your card.
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HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
Phishing
Before clicking a link or opening an attachment, pause and ask yourself, “is this from a trusted source?”
Smishing
Duration: 00:01:22
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Smishing Scams
[Woman]
Smishing scams, also known as text scams, are when fraudsters create the illusion of being your bank or a trusted organisation.
It can be a tough trick to spot as fraudsters are a master of disguise.
Their texts can appear in the same thread as messages from trusted organisations.
They will often pressure you to take urgent action, making you give away
your personal information or bank details, verify a new payee, device or transaction,
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Verify
Pay fee
[Woman]
rebook a delivery you never made by paying a fee or click on suspicious links.
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www.specialofferz.com
www.maliciouswebsite.com
[Woman]
If you are suspicious of a message you receive, don't click on any links, download any attachments or reply to the sender.
Stay one step ahead.
HSBC will never coerce you into replying to genuine fraud SMS alerts incorrectly.
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HSBC will never:
Coerce you into replying to genuine fraud SMS alerts incorrectly
Try to scare you into giving away your personal information,
[Woman]
Try to scare you into giving away your personal information, or ask you to share your one-time codes or Secure Key Code.
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Ask you to share your one-time codes or Secure Key code
Please confirm your Secure Key Code
[Woman]
Your PIN, passwords and Secure Key are all for your eyes only.
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Password:
[Woman]
So, keep your cards close to your chest by not sharing it with anyone, whether that's over the phone, by text or in person.
If you think you've been a victim of this scam, call the customer support number on the back of your card.
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HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
Smishing
Do not click on, or share your personal details, on links from untrusted text messages.
Secure Key fraud
Duration: 00:00:49
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Secure Key Fraud
[Woman]
Fraudsters are masters of disguise.
They pretend to be someone they're not.
To trick HSBC customers into revealing their secure key codes.
Then, as if by magic, their money vanishes.
A secure key is a unique code that gives you access to your account when making a payment to a new beneficiary.
These codes are for your eyes only, so keep your card close to your chest by not sharing it with anyone.
Scams involving secure keys are an easy trick to spot, as no one at HSBC will ever ask to see your code.
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No one at HSBC will ever ask to see your code.
[Woman]
If you think you've been a victim of this scam, hang up the phone.
Wait at least 15 seconds to ensure the line is disconnected.
Then call the HSBC customer support number on the back of your card.
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HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
Secure key fraud
If anyone contacts you and asks for your secure key activation code, don't give it to them. Hang up the phone and never respond to the text.
Purchase Scams
Duration: 00:01:20
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Purchase scams
[Woman]
Purchase scams are just like the classic sleight of hand trick, but fraudsters use it to misdirect you into paying for an item or service that doesn't actually exist, making money vanish from your bank and into the fraudster’s pockets.
The key to their trick is creating the illusion of legitimate websites, promoting their deals on social media and auction sites.
As with all good tricks, things aren't always as they seem.
So, look out for special offers and discounts that seem too good to be true.
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Unbelievable offers!
[Woman]
Products that have limited availability pressuring you to act before you have time to think it through.
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Time is running out!
[Woman]
And websites that ask you to pay by bank transfer instead of secure payment options.
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Bank transfer only!
[Woman]
Online shopping can be deceiving, so remember to only use secure and safe websites.
Keep in mind that the padlock doesn't mean the website is genuine.
It only assures you the connection can't be intercepted.
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shopping.com reviews
[Woman]
Research retailers to ensure they're legitimate, check the web address for misspellings and additional characters.
Only use safe ways to pay, such as your debit or credit card and check the returns and cancellations policy.
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Returns and Cancellation Policy
[Woman]
If the price looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
If you think you've been a victim of this scam, call the HSBC customer support number on the back of your card.
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HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
Business email compromise
Duration: 00:01:48
[Woman]
Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a scam where criminals target businesses by email to defraud them.
One of the most common types of BEC is payment diversion.
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Payment diversion
[Woman]
This involves scammers impersonating trusted contacts, who are usually suppliers, pressuring you to make an urgent payment to new account details.
How to spot it:
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How to spot it
[Woman]
Fraudsters go to great lengths to impersonate someone like harvesting personal details from social media and using a business official logo.
There are key warning signs to watch out for.
1. Check the email address.
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Check the email address.
[Woman]
Criminals can create near identical addresses as well as compromise existing accounts.
2. New payment details.
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New payment details.
[Woman]
Are you being told to make a payment to different account details than usual?
Ask yourself why.
3. A sense of urgency.
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A sense of urgency
[Woman]
Are you being pressured into paying right away?
Take a step back and double check the details before acting.
4. A veil of secrecy.
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A veil of secrecy
[Woman]
Are you being told they're going to be uncontactable for a while, or that the payment is confidential?
These are both red flags.
What to do about it.
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What to do about it
[Woman]
If you think you're a victim of BEC, call the customer support number on the back of your card.
By spotting fraud and educating everyone in your business to do the same, we can stop fraudsters together.
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HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
Business email compromise
Are you being told to make a payment to different account details than usual? Ask yourself why.
Authorised push payment scams
Duration: 00:01:14
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APP Scams
[Woman]
Authorised push payment scams, also known as APP scams, are when fraudsters contact you unexpectedly and convince you to send them your money.
They'll often contact you by phone, text message or email to pressure you into taking urgent action.
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Warning!
Pay securely
Bank transfer
[Woman]
They'll probably say your account is under attack and you must move your money
to a safe account.
Ask you to pay for goods and services via bank transfer rather than using conventional methods.
Tell you the bank details for a recent payment you made have changed and give you new details to send money to.
Offer you an investment opportunity, which sounds too good to be true.
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Investment opportunity
Utility bill
[Woman]
Ask you to disguise the reason for the payment or ask you to lie about the true purpose.
They may even try and build an online relationship with you, then ask to borrow money.
In short, fraudsters want to make you panic, which rushes you into transferring money before thinking about what you're actually doing.
Making your money disappear.
Never move your money to another account if an unknown caller tells you to.
Even if you think it's your bank or another account you hold.
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HSBC will never ask you to do this.
[Woman]
Remember, HSBC will never ask you to do this.
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HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
Authorised push payment scams
Never move money to another account if an unknown caller asks you.
Online security matters
The internet offers enormous benefits, from enabling us to communicate and shop online, to making it easier for businesses to trade across borders. But with these benefits come risks – which is why it’s important to protect yourself and your business.
Payment fraud learning
Payment fraud, including scams, are major risks which impact businesses of all sizes. This learning will provide you with guidance on how to protect yourself from payment fraud.
Content last updated: 14 September 2026