Nationwide Building Society has confirmed that an email circulating about a new direct debit being set up is fraudulent. The warning follows a social media post from a person who received the message and questioned its authenticity.
Fraudulent email details
The email, which included the real Nationwide logo, claimed a new direct debit had been successfully set up on the recipient's account. It asked the recipient to confirm details including a monthly instalment of £624.99, a merchant name, a first payment date of '3rd November 2026' and a reference number. The message advised anyone who did not initiate the activity to contact a dedicated team on 020 3332 0149.
A person who received the email contacted Nationwide via social media, asking: "Do you have a phishing email address? I'm not your customer so this isn't genuine." In response, Nationwide said: "I can confirm this is a fraudulent email." The group also invited the person to forward the email to phishing@nationwide.co.uk.
Ongoing scam problem
A Nationwide spokesperson said: "We continue to see criminals impersonating Nationwide through scam emails and letters. Scammers are opportunistic and often contact large numbers of people in the hope of catching someone out."
Nationwide reminded customers of signs that a message is not genuinely from them. The group said: "Customers should remember that Nationwide will never ask them to move money out of their account for any reason, ask them to lie or be untruthful about why they are making a payment, or ask for their PIN, passcodes or one-time passcodes."
Stop and contact us
The spokesperson added: "We have seen examples where fraudsters coach people on what to tell their bank or building society when making a payment. If anyone asks you to conceal the true reason for a payment, stop and contact us using a trusted number before doing anything further. If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from Nationwide, do not click links or provide any personal or banking information. It can be forwarded to phishing@nationwide.co.uk so it can be investigated."
Nationwide's Scam Protection Promise means customers who are tricked into handing over money to fraudsters will be refunded the full amount, unless they were advised not to make the payment. Guidance on the Nationwide website states: "Unless we told you not to make the payment, we'll give you back every penny if it turns out to be a scam. This is our Scam Protection Promise." The guarantee covers Faster Payments, CHAPS payments and electronic payments between Nationwide accounts, but does not cover cash withdrawals, cheques, card payments, or overseas payments through SWIFT and SEPA.
More information about avoiding fraud and scams is available on the Nationwide website.
