Fake text messages and calls: How to stay safe

We’ve become aware that fraudsters are sending out fake text messages to some of our customers, pretending to be from Starling Bank.

The fake texts may be about setting up direct debits, for example, or receiving calls from Starling. This is not us - please ignore it.

Fraudsters can even spoof a phone number, making a text look like it’s from a genuine company. The message may even appear in a chain of real texts.

The scammers may have obtained personal and contact information, which could have been gathered by phishing emails/texts.

Starling will never:

• Call you and ask you to move money out of your account

• Request you make or approve a payment in the app, or request for you to read out your online payment code

• Ask you to read out the code sent to you to add your card to a mobile wallet (e.g Apple or Google Pay)

• Ask you to verify direct debit details

If you receive a call or text that looks like it’s from Starling:

• Hang up the phone and call 159 - the 159 service will put you in touch with Starling directly

• Don’t call the number back. To call, use the number on your card

• Don’t click on any links in the text

If we need to call you:

• We will always try to contact you via the app before

• At the start of the call, we ask security questions, to ensure we’re talking to the right customer

• If you’re in any doubt, call us back with the number on your card or our website

If you receive an unexpected call from Starling:

• Hang up the phone right away and call 159

• The 159 service can put you directly in touch with us, to verify the call

• You could also contact us through our in-app chat

How to tell a fake text

A text from Starling will never:

• Ask you to provide personal information, such as a PIN

• Ask you to click on a link

• State that suspicious activity has been detected on your account

Remember, if you receive an unexpected call from Starling, hang up. You can then either:

• Call 159 who will put you in direct contact with us

• Call us back from the number on your card, or our website

• Contact us through our in-app chat

#StopChallengeProtect

To help stay safe, you should:

• Stop: Is the person on the phone who they say they are?

• Challenge: We would never have a problem with you hanging up and calling us back on the number found on our website - in fact, we would encourage you to

• Protect: Being cautious can help protect you and your money