How we protect customers

With HSBC, you won't be held liable for transactions you haven't authorized. We guarantee it.

You're 100% covered for monetary losses on your personal accounts resulting from any unauthorized online account use or online account theft including:

• HSBC Personal Internet Banking and free Bill Pay service — you will not be liable for unauthorized or fraudulent online bill payments or funds transfers resulting from online theft of your HSBC account numbers or Passwords
• HSBC credit and debit cards — your liability for unauthorized use is $0
• HSBC Bank account — if you discover your online Password has been stolen and funds are withdrawn from your account, your liability is $0 HSBC Premier clients — $0 fraud liability Identity fraud resolution services and expense reimbursement^* in most cases.

From your hometown to the other side of the world, fraudulent activity can be initiated almost anywhere. To keep an eye on it and prevent fraudsters from tapping into your account, HSBC's global network of security experts works around the clock to identify threats and investigate suspicious activity.

In addition to strict security practices and sophisticated technologies, we employ a variety of measures to protect your account from unauthorized use. For example, we monitor your account for unusual activity. If we see something that doesn't fit your banking profile, we'll attempt to prevent the transaction from being completed and contact you to verify its validity.

While we go to great lengths to prevent fraud, no security system in the world can stop it 100 percent of the time. If we confirm unauthorized charges involving your account or if you report them to us, we'll take necessary steps to limit the amount involved and minimize any disruption to your normal account activities. For example, we may:

• Block certain transactions
• Temporarily suspend your account from further use
• Close your account and open a new one for your use

In the event of fraud, you won't be held liable for any unauthorized charges to your personal HSBC bank account or credit cards. Our $0 Liability, Online Guarantee provides 100 percent coverage for monetary losses on transactions you haven't authorized.^**

Wondering about the technologies and practices that companies use to keep your information secure? Read on to learn how the security controls and features are used by HSBC to keep your information protected.

What is it? Encryption is the conversion of data into a form that people cannot read. Decryption is the reversal of that process.

How does it help protect you? When you manage your HSBC account online, encryption software scrambles your information into an unreadable form every time you enter it.

Tips:

Note: "https" or "lock" now appearing in spoofed sites.

Encryption/decryption is especially important in wireless communications because the wireless hotspots/Wi-Fi is easier to exploit than a wired network. It doesn't take an IT expert to pick up a wireless signal. Almost anyone with a little knowledge can do it.

To protect any private information you may send to us via email, HSBC also provides a secure BankMail feature within Personal Internet Banking. Your correspondence and your information, remains between you and HSBC.

What are they? There are two types of firewalls, personal and network. Personal firewalls prevent unauthorized users from accessing your computer. Network firewalls prevent unauthorized users from entering a private network.

Why are they important? Firewalls keep intruders out of your computer and protect sensitive information from hackers and viruses. Businesses use firewalls to monitor who enters and exits their network.

Tip: HSBC uses network firewalls.

What you should do? To protect your computer, you should turn on the firewall in your operating system or install a third-party firewall.

What are they? Digital certificates are ID cards for web pages. HSBC uses digital certificates to help you confirm that the HSBC web page you're viewing is legitimate.

Why are they important? Digital certificates verify that the person or organization you are communicating with is who they claim to be. Digital certificates enable secure and confidential communication between HSBC and you because the certificate contains our name, an individual serial number and digital signature.

Tip: Double-click the lock icon in the browser to read a digital certificate and check the sender's credentials.

What is it? For your protection, there are three forms of authentication used to identify you before we allow access to your accounts online. You'll enter your log on credentials (Username and Password) each time you access Personal Internet Banking. HSBC also leverages your device's fingerprint technology.