Is internet and mobile banking safe?
Internet and mobile banking is a more convenient way to manage your money and is generally safe as long as you keep your details secure.
Banks and building societies have plenty of processes to keep their websites and apps secure or they could get in trouble with the Financial Conduct Authority.
Their websites are encrypted so only you can view your account page and they are programmed to time out after a period of inactivity.
They will have strict login processes that may require a card reader or sending a code to your mobile phone.
There are steps you can take such as setting up a login and password that cannot be easily guessed and only logging into your account from a secure and private wi-fi connection.
Also, check who you are transferring money to and ensure they are legitimate.
The rise of online banking has also encouraged scammers to try to dupe account holders with emails and text messages.
Always check details with your bank separately.
The main providers also offer a service that verifies the details of someone you are transferring money to, which gives you an extra layer of security and ensures that person or company is genuine.
Customers left furious
Dozens of furious customers took to Twitter to express their anger.
One said: “TSB can’t get into your app because it’s down please don’t reply asking me to DM you with further information, it’s a you problem and I’m not the only one affected.”
And another furious customer said: “Yet again the app is down, beyond frustrated now.”
TSB service status page
TSB does have a service status page that currently states that both internet banking and mobile banking are unavailable.
Customers are still able to use telephone banking, which has not been affected.
What has TSB said?
Replying to complaints on social media, a TSB spokesperson has said they are aware of the issue.
They said: “We’re aware customers are experiencing issues logging into our Mobile Banking app and Internet Banking.
“We’re working to resolve this as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience.”
Users rage as banking app faces outage
One person on Twitter said: “Unexpected error logging in, on both mobile and my computer.”
Two others were quick to respond to say that they are having issues with their online banking.
Another customer said: “I can’t log in to the Android mobile app. If I click ‘Log in’, I am told that there ‘was an unexpected error.’
“This has been happening all morning.”
Can I claim compensation for an outage?
Banks aren’t obliged to pay compensation to customers if there’s been an outage or if they’ve experienced technical issues.
But you might be entitled to some money back depending on how much the disruption affected you.
You’ll have to present evidence of how the outage negatively affected you, including any extra costs incurred through possible late payment fees.
You should make a note of when you were unable to access the services and the names of the people you spoke to at the company that suffered the outage.
If your bank doesn’t resolve any complaint, you can take your case up with the Financial Ombudsman Service.
