Security

Kudo Property is committed to protecting your online security. We devote significant resources to the provision of safeguards designed to keep your information and investments secure, so that you can use our website materials and enjoy the benefits of your account with confidence.

This policy explains some of the many ways in which we keep your details secure and confidential. It informs you about potential threats and other risks which may affect you, and it outlines the additional steps which you can take to protect yourself.

If you believe that your Kudo Property account has been compromised or may be at risk, please email us at security@kudoproperty.com.

If you have been a victim of identity theft, you should contact us immediately. You can email or call us at the above email address or phone number; please include your name, the circumstances of the criminal activity, and a phone number where we can reach you. As described further below, identity theft occurs when a criminal steals your personal information to access your accounts or opens new accounts under your name. Some common ways in which unauthorised people can get your information include breaking into your house, intercepting your postal mail or email, and sending you phishing emails.

Security Features of Your Kudo Property Account

Kudo Property takes very seriously the importance of maintaining your personal information and investments securely at all times. We use a broad range of physical and electronic controls, which we regularly review in order to keep abreast of changing needs and advances in technology. Some of our key account security controls are highlighted below.

Accessing Your Account

As part of the process of signing up for an online account with Kudo Property, you will set up a password and various other security credentials for use when you access your account. This information is encrypted to protect it from third parties, and it will remain confidential and known only by you provided you do not disclose it. For your protection and to ensure security, we always verify your identity before granting you access to your account.

Encryption and Preventing Unauthorised Access

Kudo Property’s website employs encryption technology to protect your online activity with us. All account information passing between your computer and our systems is securely encrypted.

Our systems are protected by firewalls which block unauthorised entry. Firewalls are barriers which permit only certain types of approved traffic to enter our systems.
Someone acting fraudulently may obtain some of your security details and try to access your account by guessing the rest. As a precaution, we will temporarily disable your account if too many incorrect attempts to log in are made. If you accidentally do this yourself, or if you forget your password, you will be able to reactivate your account by following the online account security re-set procedure available at https://www.kudoproperty.com/ForgotPassword.

You should always log out of your account when you have finished using the website, to ensure that the secure connection is closed.

Secure Online Withdrawals

To protect you against the risk of fraudulent withdrawals of money from your Kudo Property account, we ask you to nominate a single bank account for the purpose of receiving payments from us. This means that, even if someone accesses your account wrongfully, the only bank account to which money can be sent is the one nominated by you. If you wish, you may change your nominated bank account online at any time, but for security you must verify the change before a withdrawal from your account may be authorised subsequently, using an additional security code which we will provide to you as described above for dealings.

We will also send a message to your phone and email when certain other activities take place on your account. Please contact us immediately if you receive notification of a change or other activity which you did not initiate yourself.

Staying Secure

While Kudo Property will do all it reasonably can to keep your account safe, you are urged to take steps yourself to avoid the risks which can arise when transacting online. Some practical tips to bear in mind are recommended below.

You should take steps to use the internet safely and securely at all times. Free, expert advice may be obtained at www.getsafeonline.org. To obtain further advice, or to report a fraud, you should contact the UK’s Action Fraud Centre.

You should ensure that you have robust, up-to-date firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on your PC, as a critical means of protecting your personal information. Also, if you connect to the internet via a wireless network, including a smart phone or tablet, ensure that it is secure. Regardless of how good your anti-virus software and other protection may be, information passed to websites on an insecure network can be accessed by someone acting fraudulently.

It is critical that you keep your account password and other security details secret. You should not disclose them to anyone, and you should be careful not to write them down or store them unsafely. If you do make a record of your password or other log-in details, make sure that these are kept securely, and above all never store your username, full password and transactional password details in the same place. Remember, once your account is set up Kudo Property will never ask you to divulge your full password. If you are ever asked to provide this, whether on our website or by email or phone, you should stop immediately and contact us on security@kudoproperty.com.

We prohibit the use of a shared email address and you must not register a contact telephone number with Kudo Property which is used by another account holder, for instance a family member. This may impact the management of your account or expose it to activity not under your direct control. Kudo Property cannot be held responsible for any unauthorised activity due to use of shared email used with a shared telephone number.

It is recommended that you change your password regularly, as a means of reducing the risk of harm through someone gaining unauthorised access to your account. You can change your password details at any time by logging in to your account and saving the new password which you choose.

To keep your account secure generally, you should also not give out any personal or financial information unless you are completely sure that the request for it is legitimate. Kudo Property will never contact you to encourage you to trade on your account, to authorise a transfer of money to a third party, or to request any confidential or account security information from you. If you have any doubt as to whether a personal call is genuine, you should end it and email security@kudoproperty.com.

Be very cautious in your treatment of emails, in particular. You should never send us any personal or account information by email, as it is not a secure method of communication. We have provided a secure means whereby you can send us messages via your account when you are logged in (click the “contact us” link), and information sent in this way is secure. Also, be alert to the risks posed by unsolicited emails which you receive, as these may not be genuine. Fake or “phishing” emails are designed to appear as if they come from a reputable company, and they attempt to obtain your personal information for criminal purposes (identity theft). Such scam emails can be difficult to tell apart from authentic ones, and if you are in any doubt you should delete them. Do not click on any embedded links, which seek to take you to a website, and do not reply to the email.

Threats and Scams

You should remain vigilant at all times to ensure that you are not caught by one of the many internet-based and other scams attempted by criminals. We have already highlighted some of the main risks, and we list below the most common examples of these threats.

“Phishing” emails – which claim to be from your bank or another organisation and attempt to trick you into unwittingly providing sensitive personal information by email or by clicking on links to fake websites. Be aware that sharing certain personal information through social media may increase the risk of targeted phishing emails.

Advance fee scams (also known as “419 fraud”) – these involve requesting you to make advance payment for services which are not subsequently provided, or promise you a share of the gains from, for example, participating in the transfer of money from another country.

“Boiler room” scams – these attempt to defraud unsuspecting investors by selling worthless or completely bogus company shares, usually via a telephone cold-calling approach and bogus websites.

Malware (malicious software) – this describes generally various kinds of harmful software installed on your computer by criminals to obtain access to information held there. Specific types of malware include trojans, spyware, and virus.

In addition to the sources of information already mentioned, visit UK Police Action Fraud for up-to-date information about protecting yourself from identity theft, fraud and cyber-crime. There is also useful advice regarding identity fraud and other scams on the Financial Conduct Authority’s ScamSmart.

Specific points to note:

Be particularly cautious regarding email correspondence with Kudo Property (or other financial institutions with which you have a relationship). Email is a particularly vulnerable and commonly used medium for online fraud.

Never provide your login details in full by email or over the phone – Kudo Property will never request these in this way.

Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed. Consider using anti-spyware software. Download the latest security updates, known as patches, for your browser and for your operating system (e.g. Windows).

Be wary of unsolicited emails requesting personal financial information. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials safe; always be wary of unsolicited emails or calls asking you to disclose any personal details or card numbers. Kudo Property, your bank, building society or the police would never contact you to ask you to disclose your details.

Ensure your browser is set to a high level of security notification and monitoring. The safety options are not always activated by default when you install your computer.

Know who you are dealing with – always access Kudo Property’s internet site by typing the address (enter) into your web browser. Never go to a website from a link in an email and then enter personal details.

Kudo Property’s website’s login page is secured through an encryption process, therefore ensure that there is a locked padlock or unbroken key symbol in your browser window when accessing our site. The beginning of the internet address will change from ‘http’ to ‘https’ when a secure connection is made.

Ensure you log off from your Kudo Property account before you shut down, especially if you are accessing your online bank account from a public computer or at an internet café.

Check your Kudo Property statements regularly and thoroughly. If you notice anything irregular on your account then contact us as soon as possible.

Please contact us immediately if you believe that your Kudo Property account may have been accessed by someone else, may be at risk for any other reason, or if you believe that your identity has been stolen or used in connection with authorised activity with any other financial institution.