Spotting Scam Emails: How to Stay Safe and Protect Your Account

As online scams become more sophisticated, it’s more important than ever to stay alert to suspicious emails, texts, and calls pretending to be from trusted organisations including banks.

At Wessex Community Bank, we take security seriously and want to make sure our members know how to recognise a genuine message from us.

Why scams are becoming more convincing

Fraudsters have become increasingly skilled at copying the look and tone of real bank emails — complete with logos, names, and even “official” looking links. Their goal is simple: to make you act quickly, before you have time to think.
These scams might say your account has been locked, your loan payment has failed, or you’re owed a refund. They’ll often include a link or attachment and use urgent or emotional language to pressure you to respond.

What we will and won’t do

We sometimes include links in our own emails, for example to share:

• News articles or community updates

• Foundation grant announcements

• Our loan calculator or application pages

• AGM invitations or annual reports

However, we’ll never send a link asking you to:

• Log in to online banking

• Confirm or update your account details

• Enter card numbers, passwords, or security codes

If you ever receive an email claiming to be from us that does any of these things, even if it looks professional, do not click.

How to check if a message is really from Wessex

1. Check the sender’s email address.
   All our official messages come from addresses ending in @wessexcb.org. Anything else — like “wessexcb-support.org” or “wessexbank-online.com” is not us.

2. Hover before you click.
   Before clicking any link, hover your cursor over it. Our genuine links always begin with https://wessexcb.org. If the address looks unusual, don’t click.

3. Look for small mistakes.
   Scammers often copy designs, but small details give them away spelling errors, odd formatting, or slightly off colours.

4. Take your time.
   Genuine messages from Wessex will never try to rush you. If an email creates panic or urgency, pause and double-check before doing anything.

What to do if you’re unsure

If you’ve received an email or text that seems suspicious:

• Don’t click any links or open attachments.

• Forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk the National Cyber Security Centre’s official reporting service.

• Contact us directly using the details on our website: wessexcb.org/contact.

• If you’ve already clicked or entered details, let us know immediately so we can help secure your account.

A message from our CEO

“Member safety is at the heart of everything we do. We’ll always do our best to communicate clearly and keep things simple — and that includes helping you stay safe online. If you’re ever unsure whether a message is genuine, stop and check. We’d rather confirm it’s safe than see a member caught out.”
— Gary Moran, CEO, Wessex Community Bank

Stay informed

Scam tactics change all the time. You can find up-to-date guidance from:

• Take Five to Stop Fraud

• Action Fraud

• National Cyber Security Centre

In summary

Wessex Community Bank will never pressure you to act quickly, share your passwords, or log in through a link. Our genuine messages are simple, clear and only ever direct you to our main website. If something doesn’t look right, pause, check, and contact us. Together, we can keep our community safe from scams.