We are aware of a number of so called "phishing" emails in general circulation. Whilst most of these target larger institutions, there are a few that claim to have come from us.

If you receive an email asking you to update your Coventry Security Details do not respond to it and do not follow any links in the email. These emails often look genuine and the web page they take you to may also look very much like the real thing. You can see how realistic these emails can be, and find out more about the phishing emails in the common frauds section.

We will never email you asking you to update your Security Details and we never include a link to a login page within our emails. If you have received an email claiming to be from us, that you are not sure about please report it to us straight away as a suspicious email.

As a general piece of advice, we would also recommend that you do not reply to unsolicited or unexpected emails offering you the chance to win or claim a large amount of money, whoever they appear to have come from.

Social networking sites

Along with other financial institutions we are very concerned about the amount of information held in the public view on social networking sites. If you do use these sites to trace old friends, or keep in touch with your community, please be aware that the personal details you enter into the site, for example your educational history, home town, maiden name and email contact details are available to all.

Trojans

The use of Trojans directed at customers who bank online is increasing. A Trojan is typically an email or webpage that hides a virus that is downloaded to your computer without you being aware of it. The viruses that concern us most are those that monitor and record what you do on your computer, including the keystrokes you use to login to your account.

It is important that you keep your firewall and anti-virus software up to date. You can find out more about protecting your computer here. We also recommend that you treat any unexpected emails or email attachments with suspicion and do not open them.

Suspicious text messages

If you receive a text message asking you to visit a website to remove or amend your personal details please do not respond to it. This message is not genuine and the website that it asks you to visit is set-up simply to steal your details.

It is important that you do not respond to any message of this type. If you have inadvertently responded to this type of message please contact us immediately. Remember we will never text or email you asking you to follow a link to login or to provide any personal details.