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Services relating to Contracts for Difference are provided by CMC Markets UK Plc (trading as RBS Spread Trading), to whom you have been introduced by NatWest Stockbrokers Limited.
Security advice
Simple steps to help you use the internet safely.
We (/RBS Spread Trading) take many steps to secure and protect our computer systems and customer information. To help protect your own computer and personal data, you must take similar precautions.
3 Steps to Internet Safety:
Remember we/RBS Spread Trading will never ask you to provide your Username or Password in an e-mail. Never disclose this information to anyone.
We may make reference to external sites where further information may be available. Please note that we are unable to recommend any site or product. We have no connection to these sites and are not responsible for the content or otherwise of any of those sites which you may choose to visit.
Protect your computer
We [/RBS Spread Trading] use the latest security measures to ensure that your online share dealing experience is safe and secure. However you need to take steps to protect your computer, so that you can use the internet with greater confidence.
Ensure you have Anti-virus protection
- These are a type of software that looks out for computer viruses and helps you to remove any viruses or suspicious programs that they find.
- We strongly recommend that you have up-to-date Anti-virus software installed on your home computer and that you ensure that the software is kept up to date with the latest virus definitions.
- If you access the internet from your work you should also ensure that your employer has installed an anti-virus solution.
- It is recommended that you use an Anti-virus program which has an Auto Update feature and that a scan of all files on your PC is scheduled at least weekly.
- Anti-virus software is available from many suppliers such as Norton, McAfee and Trend Micro and some companies provide free versions of their software.
- Be aware that some Anti-virus software is better than others - information on different types is available at the following website: Virus Bulletin
Make sure you are protected by a Firewall
- A firewall can shield your computer from unauthorised access and block unwanted internet activity. If you are using your home computer to access the internet you should use a software firewall. If you use any other PC (eg at work) check that your employer is maintaining a firewall.
- It is recommended that your Firewall is set up to work on both incoming and outgoing internet traffic, so that you control not only what you allow into your PC, but also have control over what leaves it.
- Like Anti-virus software, a range of Firewalls are available from free downloads such as ZoneAlarm, Kerio and Sygate to commercial products from Norton, McAfee and Trend Micro.
- Firewall software is also built into Windows XP and Mac OS X although you may need to activate these as they are often not turned on automatically. These built in tools may not offer protection against certain kinds of threat.
- Advice on firewalls is available at this website: Firewall Guide
Keep your computer software up to date
- It is quite common for security problems to be discovered in existing software. When this happens the software company will usually issue an update known as a patch.
- You should regularly check for updates to the main software on your computer by visiting the suppliers' website or using the update features in their software where these are available. To check for updates and patches you should visit your software publisher's website.
- If you have a Windows computer you should regularly visit Windows Update to check for new patches from Microsoft.
- If you have an Apple computer running OS X you should run the Software Update tool regularly.
- These websites can provide more information to help you keep your computer up to date: Microsoft, Apple
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Keep your identity secure on the internet
Take care when you go online. It is vital you keep your personal information secret, the following tells you more about keeping your details safe.
Watch out for fraudulent emails
- A common type of email fraud is 'phishing' where fraudsters send bogus emails which try to trick the people who receive them into revealing their Passwords and Username.
- We [/RBS Spread Trading] will never send emails asking for personal security information.
- If you do receive an email asking for your security details you should resist the temptation to reply or follow the instructions in the email. Do nothing, even if the email suggests that you need to take immediate action to stop your account being frozen or indicates that you may incur a financial penalty.
- Do not respond to the email. You can report a RBS Spread Trading phishing attack by sending an email to clientrelations@rbsspreadttrading.co.uk
- Fraudsters may send emails which appear to come from us in order to persuade you to enter your security details into a bogus website. Their aim is then to use your security details to remove money from your accounts.
- Additional information is available at this website: www.antiphishing.org
Look after your security details
- Your [Account Number, Username, Trading Password] are the key to your online trading Accounts and information. You should keep these secure and never share them with anybody.
- Change your password regularly (avoid duplication of passwords for different services).
Know about Trojans and Spyware
Trojans:
- Trojans are hidden programs that contain malicious code designed to give control of your computer to a hacker or record activity. They can also be used to delete files or even view the contents of your screen.
- They can be used to record keystrokes with the aim of capturing user ids and passwords which are then passed on to the person controlling the Trojan.
- Many Trojans can be detected and removed using up to date anti-virus software and there are also a number of specialist software programs that claim to detect and remove Trojans.
- Advice on Trojans and the software tools available is provided at the following websites: www.anti-trojan.org
Spyware:
- Spyware is software that is placed on a computer to secretly gather information about the user, and their browsing habits which is then passed on to advertisers or other interested parties.
- These programs are often installed without the user's consent as a result of visiting a website or through clicking on an option in a deceptive pop-up window.
- Spyware can also be carried in viruses or installed alongside other free software downloaded from the internet. You should read the license agreements for such software very carefully before you agree to install it.
- Spyware can slow down your computer, alter your homepage, produce lots of adverts or links to websites and even include keystroke loggers to record details such as passwords and user names.
- There are a number of free software tools and commercial products that claim to be able to remove Spyware from your computer. These should be regularly updated with the latest definition files from the vendor. Two such free products are Ad-aware and Spybot, which are available at the following websites: Ad-aware, Spybot
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Stay safe online
Here are some additional tips to help you stay safe whilst online:
Don't be taken in by email cons
- Phishing is not the only way that criminals try to use email for fraud. Email has been used to make job offers, recruit people for money laundering and trick people into visiting sites that exploit weaknesses in their computer to download Trojans.
- Don't be conned by convincing emails offering you the chance to make easy money. If an offer sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Check the security of eCommerce sites
- Be aware that Spoof (fake or fraudulent) sites do exist. Never go to the RBS Spread Trading site from a link in an email, only ever visit the website by typing the address www.rbsspreadttrading.co.uk into your browser.
- Secure website addresses usually start with the letters https: and display a padlock icon in the bottom section of your internet browser. While these are good indicators that you are visiting a genuine site there have been cases where criminals have been able to recreate these features on their spoof sites.
- As a result, it can be risky to rely entirely on the padlock icon. If you double click the icon a box will appear which contains details of the site owners and helps you to establish whether it is genuine.
Log-out properly when you've finished with a secure site
- Never leave your computer unattended when logged in to a secure session such as when you are using your RBS Spread Trading account.
- Ensure you log-out properly when you have finished using the secure service.
Exercise caution when using computers in public places
- As you cannot be certain about the security of a computer in a public place such as a library or Internet café you should be careful if you have to use such a machine. If you have any reason to be suspicious about a public computer you should not use it to access services such as Marketmaker®.
- You should never change your security details such as your password on a publicly accessible computer (e.g. in an Internet café).
- If you do use a public computer to access Marketmaker® you should look out for anyone who could be watching you.
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