Stay safe from fraudsters

Fraud scams are on the rise, so we’d like to share some tips on how to keep your accounts secure. Plus, we’ll tell you what to expect if we contact you and let you know what red flags to watch out for.

Protecting your account

Adding memorable name & place

To help stop fraud and protect your account, you should add a memorable name or place. Choose something which isn’t obvious for someone to guess and steer clear of using your own name or address. This gives your account an extra layer of security. Setting this up also makes it easy and quick to confirm your identity when you need to contact us. And it’ll avoid additional security questions when you do speak to us. It’s simple to add or amend your memorable name or place by logging into your My3 account. In ‘your details’, click ‘change password’. This will then take you to the ‘Security’ section and you can scroll down to add or amend your memorable words. Remember that this is different to the password you use for logging into My3.

Two Factor Authentication or 2FA

When you’re logging in online or to the Three app, you’ll have to enter a code. This will be sent to you by SMS. Fraudsters are always on the lookout for opportunities, so we’ve recently added this as an extra level of protection. It means that we can verify that it’s you trying to log in.

Fraudulent messages- what to look out for

Payment details

We’ll never ask you for payment details over Live Chat or by email. And we’ll also never ask for your PIN. You can feel safe knowing that all card payments are processed securely within our systems. Likewise, we’ll never call you to discuss payment details on your account. If someone calls and claims to be from Three, but you’ve got doubts, hang up and contact us directly.

Payment issues

Take time to read over any messages carefully, especially if they mention payment issues. Watch out for spelling mistakes or claims that something is wrong with your account. Fraudsters will often scare you into taking urgent action and telling them your details. Make sure the URL is always three.co.uk or 3.uk.

Reporting suspicious messages

If you’re feeling uncertain or wary of an SMS you weren’t expecting to receive, forward the message to 7726. We’ll review it, and if it’s not from us, we’ll block it from our network. Some Android phones even support a function that prompts the user to report the message as spam. Nuisance calls can also be reported by sending the word ‘call’ followed by the suspicious number to 7726.

For more information on suspicious messages, please visit our article on ‘Smishing’.

Change of account details

Any changes made to your account will trigger an SMS alert. For example, this could be a change to your alternative number, home address or email. You could receive a code for logging into My3 that you didn’t attempt. You’ll also receive an SMS if there was a request to leave our network. This will generate a PAC to transfer your phone number. A PAC message may also be followed by a sudden drop of service. It could even be the first sign that something is wrong. If you receive a text message with a change that you haven’t asked for, get in touch.

We’d also recommend that you call your bank and change your passwords to protect your bank accounts. Check out our Fraud to watch out for page, which explains different types of fraud and ways to detect it.

For more tips and info have a look at our Privacy and safety hub.