Fraud prevention

Online Fraud

Especially online, fraudsters are trying to earn a lot of money by the good faith of others. Scammers send messages misusing the HSBC logo, trying to give the impression that you are communicating with HSBC Group employees. Under this pretext, recipients are supposed to transfer funds to fraudulent accounts.

How do I recognize fake messages?

To check whether you are a victim of potential online scammers, please note the following information:

1. E-Mail address

HSBC Germany only contacts via e-mail addresses ending at @hsbc.de (or hsbc.com). In cases of online fraud, communication takes place via private e-mail addresses (e.g. @gmail.com, @mail.com or @consultant.com). In addition, the HSBC Group does not use WhatsApp, Facebook or any other social media to contact (potential) customers.

2. Package shipping before payment

Particularly on online trading platforms, fraudsters request pre-shipment of goods and the transmission of the shipment number before the goods are paid for. After sending the shipment number, no payment takes place.

3. Request for payment before opening an account

HSBC Germany does not demand payment before opening an account (e.g. for a loan). (Online) fraudsters are trying to lure you in with special conditions in order to get your money.

4. Language

(Online) fraudsters usually communicate in solid English, which has many spelling mistakes.

What should I do if I am a victim of online fraud?

In cases of online fraud, German police (“Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention der Länder und des Bundes") (https://www.polizei-beratung.de/themen-und-tipps/betrug/scamming/) recommend the following steps:

1. Block

Stop all contact immediately: no more e-mails, accept no more calls from the scammer. It is best to use a new e-mail address and telephone number. There is also a risk posed to friends in social network and for all contacts in your own mail address book. Fraudsters often send e-mails with a computer virus, which scans the data in the mail address book and enables them to take control of the victim's computer.

2. Ignore

Do not respond to demands of the scammer. Never transfer money, cash cheques or parcels - and never store them. If possible, recall payments immediately.

3. Secure

Save all mails and chat texts as evidence on a storage medium such as your preferred cloud service, an external hard drive, a USB stick or CD-ROM. Keep remittance slips, etc. If you can't do it yourself, have your computer-experienced friends and acquaintances read you the so-called e-mail header. This tells you from where the mail was sent. Self-help pages on the Internet also explain to you how you can protect yourself from greater damage.

4. Get help

Go to the police. The prosecution of such fraudsters is extremely difficult because they come from abroad. Nevertheless, you should report the incident in any case.

What should I do if I have transferred money to a HSBC Group account due to fraud?

If you have transferred money to an account within the HSBC Group due to (online) fraud, please inform us at the following e-mail address: betrug@hsbc.de

We will review your request and contact you if we have any queries.