www.getsafeonline.org
has useful information, and helpful advice about online safety.
We would like to tell you
about:
Protecting your identity
Passwords and Secret Answers
When you register an account with The Student Loans Company we
provide you with security details; a user name (your Customer
Reference Number), a password and a secret answer. When you first
log in you will need to change your password.
You can change your password and secret answer at any time by
using our online service.
Always, choose a password and secret answer that you will
remember, but will not be easily guessed by anyone else.
Using our websites safely
Our websites are designed to ensure that when you access your
account or send us information it is secure.
When you log in and access your online account you are protected
by a secure encrypted session. You will see the web address
starting "https" rather than just "http" and a small padlock icon
in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window.
Always log out of our site when you have finished using it, and
close the browser window. This ensures that your user session is
closed properly.
We recommend that when you visit any of our websites that you type
the URL address into your browser. This ensures you are going to
the correct site and not a spoof or fraudulent site.
Cookies
Cookies are small files that are often created when you visit a
website, which are stored in the cookies directory of your
computer. A cookie is created on your computer when you visit The
Student Loans Company website.
The cookie we use is only valid when you have an active session
with our site. It expires when you log out and close your browser.
It contains no information personal to you and is not used to track
your usage or return visits to our site.
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Phishing
We will never email you asking you to confirm your login details
or your bank account details. If you receive an email that appears
to be from us and asks you to visit our site and confirm your
details then it is probably a 'phishing' email.
Phishing is a fraudulent activity
designed to trick you in to giving out your login details,
fraudsters can then use this information to log in to your account
and steal information.
If you receive an email like this then you should forward it to
phishing@slc.co.uk and by letting us
know you have received one we can work to help protect you and
others who may be affected. Please note that you will not receive
any replies from this email. If you have further queries you should
Contact us.
If you think that someone might have guessed or found your login
details, or you have disclosed them after a phishing email, you can
use our online password reset service to change your details.
Top Five Tips to Avoid Phishing
- Be suspicious of any urgent requests for personal or financial
information.
- Be aware: Phishing scams are common at the three main
instalment payment dates in September, January and April.
- Always ensure that you're using a secure web site when
submitting credit card or other sensitive information; look out for
"https://" and/or the security lock.
- Prevention: Your email details may have been taken from a
social networking site so avoid disclosing your email address or
make sure you hide it on your page.
- Check the quality of the communication. Misspelling, poor
punctuation and bad grammar are often tell-tale signs of
phishing.
Received a phishing email or been caught
out?
If you receive a suspicious email forward the email to our
Security Team who will investigate and shut down any sites to help
protect other students. Please note that we cannot respond to all
emails sent to this address.
If you have responded to a phishing e-mail and given your
details you should change your account password and forward the
email to phishing@slc.co.uk
to alert us as soon as possible. If your account has been
compromised, we will investigate the incident.
The Student Loans Company will:
- Never ask you to update your bank details.
- Never ask you to verify your account details
- Never ask you to click a link always type the address
yourself
- Never ask you to answer combinations on the same screen i.e.
Your Customer Reference Number and Password on the same
screen.
- Never provide you with a choice of secret question. We will
only ever ask you the question you gave us.
- Never ask you to update items such as date of birth or provide
your email address password.
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Protecting your computer
Viruses, spyware and malware
Any computer connected to the internet may be vulnerable to
viruses, malware or spyware.
Viruses come in many forms; attached to emails, contained in
innocent looking programs or spread by websites. Viruses try to
either damage your computer by removing important files or altering
data, or to collect information about you and send it on to an
unauthorised third party. Viruses will try to spread themselves by
attempting to send themselves to your email contacts or other users
of file-sharing sites.
Firewalls
A firewall is an essential barrier between your computer and the
internet, preventing anyone connecting to your computer without
your permission.
Most current computer operating systems, such as Mac OS X,
Windows XP or Vista, have inbuilt firewalls. There are firewall
products that can be downloaded from the internet. Make sure that
your computer's firewall is active.
Anti-Virus Scanners
A good anti-virus scanner will check incoming emails and files
you open.
New viruses are discovered daily by anti-virus makers so it is
important that you update the 'definition files' (the list of
viruses the scanner knows about) every 2 or 3 days.
Operating systems
Regularly check that your computer's operating system and the
running software on it is up to date.
Most operating systems have an update facility which will
automatically update their software on your computer.
For other software packages or programs you use, visit the
manufacturer's website for available updates.
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