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<p>The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting
the public from this devastating crime. Tackling fraud requires a unified and coordinated
response from government, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector to better
protect the public and businesses from fraud.</p><p> </p><p>While specific decisions
on the opening hours of high street banks and the out-of-hours services provided are
commercial decisions for the firm, many of the major UK retail banks provide 24-hour
helplines for customers who have been victims of fraud.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly,
the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires banks and building societies to maintain
effective systems and controls to prevent financial crime. The FCA’s rules also require
firms to properly investigate all complaints, and, through ongoing supervision, it
continues to monitor firms’ complaint handling processes.</p><p> </p><p>If certain
banks or building societies have more extensive out-of-hours fraud and complaints
facilities, customers may choose to switch to an alternative provider using the Current
Account Switch Service (CASS). The switch service is free to use and comes with a
guarantee to protect customers from financial loss if something goes wrong. This means
that customers are more able than ever to hold their banks or building society to
account by voting with their feet, and that firms are incentivised to work hard to
protect their existing customers from fraud and deal with complaints efficiently.</p>
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