Security Centre
Unfortunately, there are fraudsters who may wish to try and access your financial accounts. This section will show you some of the more common frauds. Remember, if you are ever in any doubt about whether a communication is real please contact us on +44 2890 310655 or at belfast@davy.ie.
Pronounced "Fishing", this is an increasingly common occurrence where attackers attempt to trick you into revealing sensitive information. Often these fraudsters will send an "official looking" email asking you to return sensitive information by email, or they will ask you to click on a link to visit a page where you will be asked for such information.
Fraudsters may also ask for such information via other channels, such as via unsolicited phone calls or SMS text messages.
These scams can be very sophisticated and often the emails are indistinguishable from real emails sent by the financial institutions.
A number of vendors of fake anti-virus software sell their products on the Internet. Typically these products offer to scan your system after you connect to a website, they inform you that they have detected a virus and they offer you their anti-virus software for a small cost.
When installing anti-virus, only install anti-virus software from a reputable vendor such as:
Should a fraudster gain access to your webmail accounts, they may attempt to impersonate you to financial firms and attempt to access funds in your account. Ensure that you have a strong password on your account, and do not re-use that password on other websites. Where possible, enable “two-factor authentication” (available for most of the major webmail providers.)
If you know or suspect your account has been compromised, notify any financial institutions who you have previously made contact with via email.
Be wary as to the level of detail you post in public on social networking sites. Fraudsters have been known to collect and use information such as mother’s maiden name, date of birth and employment details by monitoring social networking sites.
Fraudsters may also send out fake friend requests, or other messages which appear to come from a social networking site. Clicking on a link may bring you to a phishing website, or may lead you to a site where the fraudsters attempt to install a virus on your computer.
Most financial institutions use postal mail to deliver some or all of your financial correspondence. Therefore ensure that the address listed on your account is correct, and ensure as best you can that your postal mail cannot be intercepted. If you are changing address, ensure that your mail is redirected.
Where disposing of sensitive printed information, to avoid any possibility of identity theft it is recommended that you shred these documents.
There are a number of telephone based frauds/scams in operation. Davy staff will not ask you for your password over the phone, and if you receive such a request please notify Davy.
Common telephone frauds include the “tech support” caller, who will claim to be from some well-known computer firm (such as Microsoft) who is ringing to inform you that they have detected a problem on your computer. You may be asked to pay a fee for a “fix”, or may be asked to download some software. Microsoft and other computer firms do not ring computer owners unannounced.
If you are ever in any doubt about whether a communication is real please contact us on +44 2890 310655 or at belfast@davy.ie.
Davy have invested in security technologies and processes which are both visible and invisible to you, and this section introduces you to those which are readily visible. In addition to these, in the background we have security features such as firewalls, logging and auditing systems, and regular audits of our security by both internal and external auditors.
Under no circumstances will Davy ever ask for your username or password in an email. If you receive such a communication, do not click on links or any attachments in the email and please contact Davy immediately.
The only address you should ever use to log-on to Davy is https://www.davy.ie. Never go to this address from a link placed in an unfamiliar email or website and if unsure as to whether a communication is valid or a fake, type the address into the URL bar manually.
Our website uses SSL encryption technology to ensure that communication between your browser and Davy is securely encrypted.
When you are logging into your Davy account, and after you are logged in, the address should start with ‘https://’ and you should see a padlock icon in the address bar.
If you do not see the https://, or if the padlock is missing or is replaced with some other icon (e.g. an icon with a red strike-through), you should not attempt to log-on.
The safety of your username and password is critical to ensuring the safety of your online account.
We recommend you never allow your browser to save your username and password. If you have saved your details and would like to clear your saved information, please read "How do I stop my computer from saving my Davy username and password?"
When you are finished, make sure to log out of your Davy account. A ‘logout’ link is provided on every page.
If you are ever in any doubt about whether a communication is real, or if you have other concerns about your online account, please contact us on +44 2890 310655 or at belfast@davy.ie.
Ensuring the security of your account requires both the protections we provide on our website, but it also requires you to ensure that your computer is secure. The following section gives you basic guidance on securing your computer.
The first step in securing yourself online is ensuring you have installed anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software from a reputable provider. As new viruses and other threats are constantly being developed, it is vital you continuously keep your anti-virus and firewall software updated by applying updates as they come available - nearly all anti-virus software can do this automatically so you don't have to worry about remembering!
Please ensure you only install anti-virus from reputable sources such as:
Operating system and browser vendors will typically provide regular updates which address newly discovered security issues. It is essential that you download these updates regularly. If your computer uses the Microsoft Windows operating system, keep it updated from the Microsoft website.
Having an online account makes it very convenient to access from any computer, anywhere in the world, which is not the same as saying it is a good idea to log into your account from any computer anywhere in the world. There have been news reports of computers such as those in WebCafes or Hotel Kiosks being found to be infected with “key-logger” viruses which record all usernames & passwords that are entered.
We do not advise you log into your Davy account from any computer other than one where you can assure yourself that the anti-virus protection is up-to-date, that it has been updated, and that no-one is monitoring what you are entering. You may wish to err on the side of caution when accessing your account from third party computers.
This advice applies if you are in a location where someone other than yourself may attempt to access your account. Davy will automatically log you out of your account if there is a period of inactivity, but logging-out yourself when finished is a more secure option.
iPhone and iPad viruses are rare. Android devices are more susceptible to viruses, which are typically installed when malicious applications are downloaded. If you are concerned about the security of your computer, our current recommendation is the use of an iPad to access your account.
The following websites provide useful advice and tips for online security.
The Davy Group is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Some browsers and devices will prompt you to save your Davy password when logging on to Davy.
For security reasons, we recommend you never use this feature to store your Davy password. This is of particular importance when using a shared computer as someone else could access your portfolio without your knowledge or permission.
If you have saved your Davy password and would like to clear your saved password data please follow the instructions relevant to your browser below:
When you log-in on a Davy website, in addition to entering your username and password you will be asked to enter a verification code that will be sent to your mobile phone.
How it works:
Enter your username and password on the Login page Your mobile phone will receive a 4-digit code by text Enter the code on the Login page
You are now logged in!
Remember
If you sign into your account from another device, you will be asked to enter a new verification code sent to your mobile phone.
At Davy we understand how important the security and confidentiality of your information is to you. Our Security Centre will introduce you to the security features of your account, the steps you should take to protect yourself, and will also give you an overview of some of the more common frauds and other identity theft issues that may threaten the safety of your account.
