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A multi-agency partnership between HSBC, the States of Jersey Police, Prison! Me! No Way!!! and Get Safe Online has been formed to deliver a cutting-edge programme aimed at helping to protect customers and the wider community from online crime and fraud.
Designed to help boost understanding around cyber crime, the programme will see HSBC work collaboratively with its partners to provide access to specialist expertise, advice and resources of UK-based organisation Get Safe Online, a private/public sector partnership supported by the UK government, dedicated to all aspects of online safety.
HSBC staff will undertake training with Get Safe Online in key areas of online safety and security, enabling them to pass on the latest advice to customers and support them more effectively. A dedicated link to the Get Safe Online website is available on the HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man website, providing everyone with easy access to the latest advice. Regular advice will also be shared via monthly social media posts on the HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man Facebook page.
This new partnership will be formally launched at HSBC’s King Street branch on Wednesday 21stNovember between 12.30pm and 2pm. At the event, which is open to everyone, HSBC staff and members of the police force will be on hand to answer questions and provide advice about online safety. Free wallet protectors, which help towards protecting card details from being remotely scanned and stolen will be given out. There will also be videos to watch and leaflets to take away that provide customers and members of the public with online safety guidance and tips.
Commenting on the new partnership, Chris Langford, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management in Jersey said: “People and businesses around the world are falling victim to fraud abuse and other crimes either initiated or propagated online every single day of the year. This is as much the case in the Channel Islands as anywhere else and nobody, whatever their background, education, age group or location, is immune from this threat.”
“By working with key partners, HSBC can bring the latest thinking to customers and the community in ways that are easy to digest and follow.”
Chris Beechey, Detective Chief Inspector, States of Jersey Police, added: “We should all question whether we are doing everything we can to protect ourselves from online criminals and especially those criminals that are after our personal data or money. We really can make a difference by taking some simple steps. First and foremost, install the latest software and app updates on your devices, use a strong separate password for your email, secure your device with a screen lock, back up your important data and don’t use public wi-fi for sensitive data. Just as you wouldn’t leave your door unlocked, you shouldn’t leave yourself unprotected online.”
Lesley Harrison, Chairman, Prison! Me! No Way!!!, which works with children and young people in Jersey to promote online safety, said: “Today’s children are growing up online, and make little distinction between life online and off. Their use of online games, apps and services play a crucial role in the development of their identities, friendships, relationships, passions and aspirations. It is essential that we respond by offering them high quality online safety education that will enable them to make positive choices that will help keep them safe, and also enable them to recognise the consequences and relevant laws. This partnership initiative will help us to maintain high profile campaigns on internet safety, while giving them resilience, skills, knowledge and support they need to navigate any online risks they may come across.”
HSBC is already a supporter of ‘Take Five’, a national awareness campaign aimed at raising awareness of fraud, and has worked to bring thinking from the initiative to the island.
Meanwhile, UK Finance published figures earlier this year highlighting that more than £500m had been stolen by criminals in the UK through fraud and scams in the first half of 2018 alone. In addition, reports of online fraud received by the States of Jersey Police have increased by 100% in the last 12 months. The total amount of money lost so far this year is £736,000, compared to £86,347 for the same period in 2017.
