Keeping customers safe online

Thursday 22 November 2018

HSBC has launched a multi-agency partnership with Guernsey Police and Get Safe Online to deliver a programme aimed at helping to protect customers and the wider community from online crime and fraud.

This new partnership was formally launched at HSBC’s High Street branch yesterday. At the event, HSBC staff and members of the police force answered questions from the public and provided advice about online safety.

Free wallet protectors, which help towards protecting card details from being remotely scanned and stolen, were distributed and attendees could view videos and take away leaflets that provided key online safety guidance and tips.

Pictured: HSBC, Guernsey - on the corner of the High Street and the Arcade. 

Designed to help boost understanding around cyber crime, the new programme will see HSBC work 'collaboratively with its partners' to provide access to specialist expertise, advice and resources of UK-based organisation Get Safe Online, a private/public sector partnership supported by the UK government, dedicated to all aspects of online safety. 

HSBC staff will be training with Get Safe Online in key areas of online safety and security, enabling them to pass on the latest advice to customers and support them more effectively. A dedicated link to the Get Safe Online website is available on the HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man website, providing easy access to the latest advice. Regular advice will also be shared via monthly social media posts on the HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man Facebook page.  

Mhairi Thomsett Country Head for Retail Banking and Wealth Management HSBC Guernsey, said the new partnership will benefit lots of people.

“People and businesses around the world are falling victim to fraud abuse and other crimes either initiated or propagated online every single day of the year. This is as much the case in the Channel Islands as anywhere else and nobody, whatever their background, education, age group or location, is immune from this threat. By working with key partners, HSBC can bring the latest thinking to customers and the community in ways that are easy to digest and follow.”

Clare Cuthbert, Detective Chief Inspector, States of Guernsey Police, said: “Being almost permanently online is now a way of life and criminals are looking for ways to exploit this. Most of us carry at least one device in our pockets connected to the internet at all times, and with more and more internet enabled devices entering our homes, it’s now more important than ever to consider online safety and security as part of our everyday lives. Keeping you and your family safe is no longer about just locking the door at night, it’s about preventing easy access to your information, data and devices. Everyone should follow the Guernsey Police Facebook page and Twitter feed, where information about how to stay safe online will be shared.

"We are extremely grateful for the funding and support provided by HSBC. Prevention is a key way of combating crime, and with HSBC as partners, this vital online safety message will reach a far greater audience, hopefully preventing many more people from falling victim to online crime, and all the serious consequences this entails.”

HSBC is already a supporter of ‘Take Five’, a national awareness campaign aimed at raising awareness of fraud, and has worked to bring thinking from the initiative to the island. Meanwhile, UK Finance published figures earlier this year highlighting that more than £500m had been stolen by criminals in the UK through fraud and scams in the first half of 2018 alone.

Pictured top, l-r: Katherine Farmer, Branch Manager; Denise Sutton, Economic Crime Investigation, Guernsey Police; Tom Elliot, Digital Media Investigation, Guernsey Police, Mhairi Thomsett, Country Head, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC.