How we keep your account secure
Vanguard is committed to and devotes significant resources into protecting your online security and takes very seriously the importance of maintaining your personal information and investments securely at all times.
How we keep you safe
We use a broad range of physical and electronic controls. All account information passing between your computer and our systems is securely encrypted. Our systems are protected by firewalls which block unauthorised entry.
Account security features
Security features of your Vanguard account include
Secure access to your account, and preventing unauthorised access
Time-out features
Additional security code for account changes
Secure online withdrawal
How you can keep your account safe
Don't make it easy for fraudsters to get hold of your account details. Here’s what you can do to keep yourself safe from fraud.
What you can do
Security features of your Vanguard account include
Never reveal your password
Keep your details up-to-date with us
Become familiar with types of fraud
Watch out for fake Vanguard emails. Our email addresses always end in @vanguardinvestor.co.uk, @vanguard.co.uk, @vanguard.com or @global.e-vanguard.co.uk
How to report fraud
Phone us immediately on 0800 587 0460, or by email at personalinvestors@vanguard.co.uk
Types of investment fraud
Keep your information safe from fraudsters. Familiarise yourself with the ways scammers try to access your information. Check if a firm is FCA-authorised on the Financial Services Register. If they’re not registered, it’s probably a scam.
Fraudsters often try to mimic genuine companies. They will use logos, addresses, telephone numbers and the names of real company employees to make themselves seem legitimate. They may also use paper or online forms to try to capture your personal details for fraud.
You can find out more about how to protect yourself from investment fraud on the Take Five website.
An advance-fee scam normally involves the promise of a sum of money at a later date, in return for an upfront fee.
How it works
You could be contacted by letter, phone or e-mail by a person misrepresenting themselves as working for an established company, like Vanguard.
This person will then try to coax you into paying an up-front fee to enable the release of money to you, - usually an amount larger than the fraudulent advance fee.
In order to make their email/letter appear more genuine, the fraudsters may include graphics, official-sounding language and sometimes names similar to those of employees of the legitimate company that they are cloning.
In the case of asset management firms like Vanguard, these scams can involve investments in or reclaiming lost investment assets including, Carbon Credits, Fine Wine, Art and other stock investments – to name a few.
Vanguard will neither make unsolicited contact with you via phone, letter or email, nor ask for up front or any other fees to recover money lost (to fraudsters).
What to do
If you have received contact from someone who claims to be representing Vanguard in these types of circumstances, please do one or more of the following
- call us on 0800 587 0460
- check the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website
- call the FCA to report on 0800 111 6768 directly
How it works
You get an email from a person or company that looks genuine asking you to click a link for more information or to verify your details.
If you click on the link, typically this link downloads malicious software (malware) onto your device. This malware then lets fraudsters access any stored details.
What you should do
Make sure you update your device with anti-virus software and a good firewall. Never click on links in unsolicited emails from people or companies you don’t recognise. If you’re not sure, delete the email or block the sender.
How it works
You will normally be contacted by a company or someone out of the blue via phone, email, text, or even drawn to an advert online. The scammers may have been introduced to you by a friend or family member who is also unknowingly being scammed.
Scammers will make false claims to gain your trust. For example they may:
State they or their company is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or that as they are not providing advice themselves, they don't have to be FCA authorised.
Say they are acting on the behalf of the FCA or “Pension Wise”, the government service.
Devise attractive offers to persuade you to transfer your pension to them (or to release funds from it). The funds are often stolen or invested in unusual, high-risk and/or worthless investments like overseas property, renewable energy bonds, forestry, or storage units.
Be articulate, displaying financial expertise, with convincing websites, testimonials and materials that are hard to differentiate from the real thing.
What to do
If you have received contact from someone who claims to be representing Vanguard in these types of circumstances, please do one or more of the following
- If you have received contact from someone who claims to be representing Vanguard in these types of circumstances, please call us on 0800 587 0460.
- If your investments are not held with Vanguard and you have agreed to transfer your pension and now suspect a scam, contact your pension provider immediately – they may be able to halt the transfer.
- Report it to your local police and / or Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040.
- Report it to the FCA by calling their Consumer Helpline on 0800 111 6768.
For more information regarding Pension scams, please use the below links:
- Pensions Regulator website
- Action Fraud website, which includes 4 simple steps to protect yourself from Pension scams
How it works
You could be contacted by letter, phone or e-mail, by a person misrepresenting themselves as working for an established company.
They may also use fraudulent websites, some provide online forms to complete in order to contact you to steal your money as well as steal your identity.
The fraudster contacting you will try and coax you into transferring money to them, in exchange for non-existent or worthless bonds or shares.
In order to make themselves seem more genuine, the fraudster may use logos of genuine companies, names of real employees, FCA registration numbers, postal addresses and telephone numbers of genuine companies.
More information about these types of scams is available on the UK regulators website.
What to do
If you have received contact from someone who claims to be representing Vanguard in these or similar circumstances, please do one or more of the following:
Call us on 0800 587 0460
Check the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website.
Call the FCA directly on 0800 111 6768
More information on protecting yourself from fraud
Free reliable, expert advice may be obtained to protect yourself, your computer, smartphone and tablet, including their use and transacting on line.
UK Police’s Action Fraud website has further advice and up to date information about protecting yourself from identity theft, fraud and cyber-crime and details of scams, and can be used report a fraud.
UK Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) has various reference material and guidance regarding safeguarding against identity fraud, unauthorised persons and pension, investment and similar and frauds.
In order to safeguard the public, the FCA issues notices regarding the unauthorised use authorised firms’ names if they are cloned; one such notice relates to the unauthorised use of Vanguard’s name which was recently cloned to misrepresent Vanguard.
The following organisations offer various security and services options to help protect your ID.
For further information about our security policy, please contact Vanguard Asset Management, Limited at personalinvestors@vanguard.co.uk.