Security
1. Scam messages
Fraudsters may try to use your details against you. Do not reply to any unexpected texts or emails. And don’t click on any links or attachments as they could send a virus.
Find out how to protect yourself by spotting a scam email or text message from a real one.
What to look out for:
The person sending the email wants you to send them financial or personal information. We would never message you for these.
They ask you to move your money. We will never ask you to make a test payment online or to move money to a new account. We will never ask you to move money to a secure, safe or holding account.
You don’t recognise the sender. If you don’t know who sent a message then it could be a scam.
Check the email address. Our email addresses always end with @spw.com if they come from an individual, or @spw.email if it comes from the company (for example, to confirm an appointment you booked online or to send you a newsletter if you have subscribed to that service). There should never be another word between spw and .com, nor between spw and email. For example hello@spw.email is correct but hello@spw.info.email is wrong.
You might also receive emails from Fusion Wealth – the system (or “platform”) where your personal information and investment valuations are held – and these will come from either the email address noreply@fusionwealth.co.uk or info@fusionwealth.co.uk. Again there should never be another word between fusionwealth and .co.uk
Spelling mistakes. Scam emails often look odd, with a messy layout and spelling or grammatical mistakes.
A sense of urgency. Scam emails will generally try to create a sense of urgency that something needs to be done quickly.
A genuine message will be written in a reasonable and calm way. Scams may use warning messages, threats of fraud, or claims of problems with your account.
If you have received an email that seems suspicious you need to act now.
What you can do:
If you get a message that seems odd, you should follow these steps:
Do not reply. Even if you think you know the sender, don’t reply to an email or text message if it seems odd.
Do not open any links or attachments. These could put a virus on your phone or computer.
Forward the email to us by creating a brand new email and attaching the suspicious one to it. You should be able to do this by dragging the email from your inbox into the body of your new message. Alternatively, right-click on the email, then copy it and paste it in. Address the email to emailscams@spw.com to send it to our Information Security team for analysis.
Call us. If you’re not sure, phone your adviser. Alternatively, phone the helpline on our website which should be accessed by typing spw.com directly into the address bar at the top of your screen.
Forward the message to your network provider. You can use 7726 to report the scam text to your network provider at no cost.
Remember, if you’re not sure about an email or text message do not reply, just delete it.
2. Scam calls
Fraudsters can phone people and pretend to be from Schroders Personal Wealth, the police, or other well-known companies. Scam calls can sound real and professional. But stop and think - is this call genuine?
What to look out for:
Unexpected calls. If you didn’t expect the call then it could be a scam. If you’re not sure, terminate the conversation and ring your adviser or our helpdesk on a number you trust, preferably from a different phone.
Pressure calls. Fraudsters want to hurry you into making a quick decision. They may also ask you to 'keep it quiet' and not tell anyone about the call. Don’t trust anyone who does this.
A need to transfer money. Scam calls can try to get you to transfer money for security purposes or to a safe/secure/holding account. Do not do this. We would never ask you to move money to a ‘safe’ account.
Refunds. If a caller offers you a refund it’s a likely to be a scam. Even if you were due a refund from us, we might call you as a courtesy to say it’s coming, but we would send it to the bank account we already have on record.
Test transactions. If a call asks you to do a test transaction then it’s a scam. We would never ask you to do this.
Calls from the police. It’s very rare for the police or Scotland Yard to call. If they do, they'll always follow up with a visit from an officer with photo ID and a warrant number.
You’re asked to log on to your computer. A scam call may tell you there's something wrong with your computer or ask you to download something. They could pretend to be from your broadband provider or a trusted software company. But if you didn't ask for this call, it's a scam.
What you can do:
If you get a cold call then you can stay safe by:
Hanging up the phone. If you’re not sure who’s calling, hang up the phone.
Telling them you’ll call back. But use a number you trust, not the number they use or give you. If they say it’s the police you can call back on 101. Ideally, use a different phone line to call them back.
Not transferring any money. Neither Schroders Personal Wealth nor the police will ever call and ask you to move money from your account.
Not logging onto your computer. Unless you called for help, do not log on to your computer during an unexpected call.
Not letting anyone take control of your computer. Unless you called a software provider or your internet provider for help, do not let anyone take remote control of your computer.
Not reading out what’s on your computer screen. A genuine caller would not ask you to tell them what’s on your computer screen.
Remember: If you get an unexpected call do not give any personal or banking details. If you’re not sure, hang up. If you want to speak to someone, call your Personal Wealth Adviser on their usual mobile number.