Confirmation of Payee

Confirmation of Payee is a name checking service that helps confirm whether the account details match the name of the person or company you are sending money to.

It can help protect our customers from fraud and scams. 

Fraudsters may try to trick you into sending money by pretending to be someone they're not, this is called an Authorised Push Payment Scam.

You can find out more about APP scams and how to protect yourself on our fraud awareness page.

When setting up a new payee, a standing order, or amending an existing payment, you’ll see one of the following messages:

Details matched: The name of the account holder, account type and number, as well as any relevant reference you’ve entered, match those held by the payee’s bank.

Close match: The name you’ve entered closely matches the details held by the payee’s bank.

We’ll show you the actual account name if this closely matches, to help you decide whether or not to send the money or edit the details and try again.

An example of this could be you've entered 'Tom Wood' when the bank has 'Thomas Wood' on record. 

Not matched: The name, account type, account number or relevant reference doesn’t match the details on the account.

Some organisations need you to provide a specific reference.

For example, some building society accounts require a roll number, while to pay a credit card bill you'll need to enter a 16-digit card number. 

For these payments, when you enter a sort code and account number, the reference will be checked to ensure the account name is correct. Make sure you enter the account holder's name into the payee box, not the organisation name. 

For all other payments this will remain an optional field and can be used as normal to help the payee identify who a payment is from.

If the details you enter don’t match or are not recognised, try going back to the person or organisation you're trying to pay to confirm their info. Double check their details before sending any money, as you may not get it back if you send payment to the wrong payee.

Fraudsters sometimes set up email addresses that will look similar to the person or small business you’re trying to pay. Always check carefully. If you're not sure, use a telephone number from a trusted source or an official website to contact the payee. 

You might also see one of these messages:

Unable to name check: The bank or financial service provider your payee banks with may not be registered with the Confirmation of Payee service.

Account not found: You may have entered the account number or sort code incorrectly or the account may not exist.

These messages can also be a warning sign that the payee may not be trustworthy. Always check carefully and proceed with caution before sending money. 

Online scams are getting more common, so it's important to be aware of the different types.

Criminals may pretend to be a person you trust, a company you regularly pay money to, the police or even first direct.

Remember, first direct will never ask you to move money, but criminals will. 

You should also be aware that fraudsters might try convince you to ignore the Confirmation of Payee outcome.

If you feel uneasy that something isn’t right, please get in touch with us.

You can call us on 03 456 100 100, any time, day or night.