Security

Security

As an investment business, we are constantly finding fraudulent schemes on social media and email from people pretending to represent abrdn (or other businesses in our group). We have robust processes and measures in place to manage activities like this and do everything we can to protect our customers, shareholders and clients.

Identity Fraud and Security

Identity theft and online fraud is big business for criminals.

When you're online you leave a trail of little clues about yourself, like your name, your date of birth and where you live. Think about the details you give when you open a bank account, apply for a loan, a credit card, or a job. If you use social media like Twitter and Facebook, then your profile and comments can reveal things like your children's birthdays, pet's names - bits of information that on the surface seem perfectly ok.

For criminals, though, this can represent money in the bank. By gathering up all the pieces of information about you, they can apply for credit cards and loans in your name. And in some cases, they use the identity they've stolen for more serious crimes.

Having your identity stolen is frightening, upsetting and hugely disruptive to your life. The UK Government's Home Office estimates it takes 300 hours to restore your financial and credit records after identity theft. If it were a full-time job, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, it would take over a month to fix. Keeping your identity protected online is easy and straightforward if you know what to look out for.

Online Security

The best things you can do to stay safe online are to be proactive and vigilant when you're online in public places. But there are risks and even serious dangers in sharing your personal information on social networks. Keep your computer secure by changing your passwords and PINs (and keeping them a secret), and installing the latest updates for your system, applications and internet security software.

Choose a strong password and PIN

strong password should be easy for you to remember but difficult for anyone else to guess. We recommend that passwords are at least 14 characters long and include a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. One effective approach is to use a “passphrase”, such as a short and memorable sentence. You should avoid using names of family members or pets, birthdays, place names, or football teams, as these can be easier for others to guess. If you need to write down your PINs or passwords, you should disguise them so that only you can recognise them, and we strongly recommend the use of password management software. You should never reuse the same password or passphrase across different accounts and must never disclose your passwords or PINs to anyone.

Antivirus

Antivirus software is included in most recent operating systems (like Windows 10 or Apple OS) that run on your computer and this should be enough to keep you protected against the majority of threats. You should make sure AntiVirus is enabled and that automated updates are switched on too. However, if you are using a computer with an older operating system (such as Windows 8 or earlier or Apple macOS 'High Sierra' or earlier ) you should install additional AntiVirus software.

Always install the latest software updates

Switch on automated updates for your operating system, web browsers and applications. Making sure your computer has the latest updates and patches is one of the most important ways to protect yourself and your data.

Protect yourself online

Before providing any confidential or financial information, you should always check that the website address is correctly displayed in the address bar. You should also look for the locked padlock icon and ensure that the web address begins with “https://” before carrying out any financial transactions; if these are not present, you should not enter your personal or payment card details. Never leave your computer or other devices unattended when you are not alone, and remain alert to anyone attempting to observe your screen or actions, sometimes referred to as “shoulder surfing”. Finally, make sure that you fully log out and close your internet browser once you have finished each session.

Using the internet in public places

You should avoid carrying out financial transactions, such as paying for goods or using online banking services, in public places or when connected to public wireless networks or using shared computers. It is also important to remain aware of the people around you, particularly if they appear to be taking an interest in what you are doing. Always remember to log out properly when you have finished, even if you are closing your browser or turning off your device.

Email Security

While email is useful, it can also have risks. These include receiving emails that result in you being defrauded or your identity stolen, emails you don't want, emails not arriving or emails being intercepted.

Fraudsters have all sorts of scams to trick you into giving out your personal information. 'Phishing' emails generally trick you to be from organisations you already know such as your bank or payment card company, insurance company, a government department or a company you deal with online.

The offers, emails and websites will all look 'real'. But the pages that you enter your personal information into are fake. Fraudsters will then use your data for criminal activity against you, much of which may be used in turn to fund large-scale organised crime.

Report Fraud

If you think you have been defrauded, or that someone is trying to defraud you, contact the police. There are other actions you can take, depending on what country you live in.

If you live in the UK

The services in this list can help if you have, or think you have, been a victim of fraud:

If you have been the victim of fraud, then contact CIFAS to register and protect your indetity from further attack.

Use Equifax / Experian / Call Credit to check your credit history.

If you think your post is being stolen, contact the Royal Mail on their Customer Enquiry number, 08457 740 740.

If you live outside the UK

Please check what services are available in your area, either from your government or consumer advice bodies. You can also search online for topics like "fraud prevention" or "report fraud".

Important Notice – Investor Awareness

We would like to remind our clients and the general public to remain vigilant against potential fraudulent activity involving the unauthorized use of our name, brand, or that of our representatives. Our firm does not initiate contact with individuals via social media platforms - including, but not limited to, WhatsApp, Telegram, or Facebook, to offer investment opportunities or to solicit payments of any kind. Any such communication should be treated with caution. We strongly encourage anyone who encounters suspicious outreach or activity to refrain from engaging and to report the incident through the appropriate channels. Safeguarding the trust and security of our clients is a top priority, and we appreciate your continued attention to this matter.