Protecting you and your money from fraudsters
Read about the latest scams, how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you've been a victim of fraud.
Think you've been a victim of fraud?
If you've noticed a suspicious transaction on your Zopa account or think you might have fallen for a scam or been a victim of fraud, please let us know.
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How Zopa protects you from fraud
It's our responsibility to try to protect customers from falling victim to financial fraud — and we take this very seriously. We have a specialist team dedicated to fighting fraud and keeping your details and money safe.
Who we work with
We're regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — the UK’s financial regulator — who set industry-wide standards to protect consumers.
We also partner with the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (Cifas), the UK’s leading fraud-prevention service. They hold the largest fraud database in the country.
How we fight fraud
We fight fraudulent applications while also staying on the lookout to ensure our customers’ accounts remain safe. Here’s how we do it:
Real-time checks
We work with the UK's leading credit reference agencies to make sure that anyone who applies for a Zopa product is who they say they are — not someone pretending to be them.
Smart tech
We have automated alerts set up to help us detect suspicious activity on your accounts, like unusual sign-in attempts and suspicious transactions.
Specialist teams
Zopa employees complete regular fraud-awareness training. And we have dedicated teams who receive specialist training to spot, investigate and resolve fraud attempts across Zopa products.
Data protection
We encrypt your mobile banking data and use a range of authentication methods, including passwords, PINs, biometric data and one-time verification codes.
To learn more about how we use your personal data, please see our privacy notice. If you have any questions about anything in our privacy notice, please get in touch.
Learn more about fraud and scams
Fraud
Fraud is when suspicious activity happens on your account or in your name, which you weren't aware of or didn't authorise.
Examples of fraud include APP fraud, identity theft and money muling.
Learn more about fraudScams
A scam happens when you're tricked into handing over your money or personal details to someone pretending to be a genuine person or company.
Examples of scams include investment and crypto scams, romance scams and social media scams.
Learn more about scamsHow to keep your data safe
We’ll always do our best to protect your online and mobile banking data, but there are steps you can take too. Here are some tips to follow:
Keep your device secure
Make sure your phone, tablet or computer is protected by a password, PIN or biometric data (like your fingerprint or facial recognition). Update your operating system and apps regularly to get the latest security features, and install anti-virus software from a reputable company.
Create strong passwords
Use complex and unique passwords for each of your online accounts. Avoid using common or easy-to-guess passwords, such as your name or date of birth. Your passwords should be between 12–16 characters and use a combination of upper-case letters, lower-case letters, numbers and symbols. You should update your passwords periodically and never share them with anyone.
Look for secure connections
When you access online banking via a website, look for a padlock icon in the address bar and check that the website URL starts with https:// — this indicates that the connection is encrypted and secure.
If the website URL starts with http:// (without the 's'), this means the website is less secure, so proceed with caution.
Be wary of scams
Watch out for unexpected emails, calls, texts or messages that ask you to provide personal information such as your account number, password, PIN or card details — scammers like to catch you off guard.
And never click on links or download attachments from a person or company you don’t trust, as this is a common way that scammers steal data.
Other organisations that can help
There are plenty of organisations available to get more information and advice on how to protect yourself from fraud.
Here are some free and impartial websites we’d recommend:
Action Fraud: to learn about and report cyber crime
Take Five: for advice on preventing email, phone-based and online fraud
Cifas: for advice and protection against fraud
The Financial Conduct Authority: to find out whether a financial firm is legitimate
Get Safe Online: to help you stay safe online