Staying safe online

The security of your personal and financial information is extremely important to us at Scottish Friendly.  Here’s what we do to keep your details safe when applying online.

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Protecting your data with encryption

By encrypting all the information you send through to us, we convert your data into secret code to prevent unauthorised access. This means that the information can be securely transmitted via the web to ensure that only Scottish Friendly can read it.

You’ll know you’re using a secure part of our website when the web address starts with https (s meaning secure). You may also see a padlock icon on the left of the address bar or bottom right corner of the screen. Double-clicking this padlock enables you to view the security certificate for that website.

We'll never email or call you to disclose or verify your debit card or bank account details. If you're contacted or receive an unsolicited email which asks you for these details, ignore the email and report the incident to us.

How you can keep your personal data safe

With so much of our time and activity spent online, it's increasingly important to know how best to protect personal information from third parties who may have malicious intentions.

By following the information and guidance below, you can help to keep your details secure so that you stay as safe as possible online.

  • You should always consider your personal data to be sensitive information. This includes details such as your name, address, email, telephone numbers, bank and credit card details, health information and much more. Be cautious about what you share online, especially information relating to your identity, as it has the potential to be used to impersonate you or predict your passwords.

  • Use strong passwords and update them often using a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols which make them difficult to guess. Avoid the use of personal information such as your name, date of birth or commonly used phrases. Password managers encrypt your list of passwords with a master password, meaning you only have one password to remember. Remember not to share password information with others.

  • Spam or ‘phishing’ emails and text messages are often used to encourage you to disclose private account or log in information. If you think something isn’t right, don't click any of the links. Instead, you should contact your provider or the company they're appearing to be to establish the authenticity of the message.

  • Be wary of who you talk to online because unfortunately not everyone you speak to over the web is who they claim to be. Be vigilant to avoid sharing our personal information with fraudsters or robot hackers. Don't send any money or click on any links they share with you.

Social media security

The above measures regarding the sharing of your personal information also relate to social media. It's important not to publish any account, financial or personal details on any social networking pages. We'll never ask you for this type of personal information through social media. The only official Scottish Friendly social network pages are the ones listed below. 

X: www.twitter.com/scotfriendly

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScottishFriendly

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Scottish.Friendly

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/scottish-friendly

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ScotFriendly

If you find a social network page pretending to represent Scottish Friendly that is not listed on this page, please report it to us here at our contact us page.