Fraud and scams
Learn more about the steps you can take to protect yourself during the cost of living crisis.
Keep yourself secure
The current cost of living crisis means it’s more important than ever to take steps to protect yourself from fraudsters who may be looking to take advantage of you.
Never share your one-time passcode - including the code that’s sent to you when you register for our app - with anyone, even a Capital One employee.
We’ll never call or message you and ask you to share your one-time passcode, password or other security details with us. If someone is asking you to share yours, it’s a scam.
If you see anything on your account that you don’t recognise, get in touch.
What to watch out for
Here are a few examples of cost of living scams you might encounter:
- Texts or emails claiming to be from the government or Ofgem, asking you to apply for or claim payments to help with the cost of living. Your energy supplier will apply any payments or discounts, such as the £400 energy rebate, automatically.
- Texts or emails claiming to be from your local council, where they ask for your bank or card details in relation to the £150 council tax rebate. Councils will never ask for your bank details. If you are eligible for the rebate, your council will pay the rebate directly into the bank account you use to pay your council tax bills.
- Texts or emails offering fake discounts on prepayment electricity meters, or fake gift cards to use at petrol stations. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Any cold calls about products or services. If you’re interested in the product or service that the cold caller is offering, speak to family and friends or look for a recommendation before buying from an established company. And remember, never let anyone log onto your computer or other devices during or after a cold call.
- Banks and other official organisations, like the NHS or HMRC, will never ask for payment or personal information by text or email.
For more information or to report any activity like this, go to takefive-stopfraud.org.ukopens in a new tab
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Our Fraud Protection Promise
Our Fraud Protection Promise
As a Capital One customer, you receive a range of free services to help keep you safe from fraud and identity theft.
You also benefit from our Fraud Protection Promise: to protect you from fraud, monitor your account and resolve problems.