Confirmation of Payee

BEAUK now offers a name-checking service called Confirmation of Payee (CoP). CoP checks whether the payment details match when you input them to set up a new payment (including CHAPs, Faster Payment or Standing Orders) or when changes are made to your existing payees.

CoP checks the following details you entered against the record held by the payee’s bank (i.e. the bank of your intended recipient):

• Name on the account
• Account number
• Sort code
• Account type – to confirm if it is a personal or business account
• Reference – some accounts require a specific reference number to identify who the account belongs to. For example, rolling number for some building society accounts.

Our system will check the above details you provide against those of the payee’s bank and let you know right away if you are paying to the person or business you intended.

How does it work?

The details you enter will be checked against records held by the payee bank.

This applies to any new payments (including CHAPS, Faster Payment and Standing Orders) and changes to existing payees.

Here are some examples of the message you would expect to see on screen and respective actions you are recommended to take:

Message	Recommended action for you
Match	The name and account details you entered match the account you are paying to. The payment you are about to make will be received by the intended person or business. However, a match as such is not equivalent to the payee entirely free from any suspicion of scam. Please exercise caution at all times and make sure the payment is for intended recipients and for valid purposes.
Close Match	The name you entered does not fully match with the record held by the payee’s bank. In this case, the exact name will be shown, and you will be given the options to either edit the details and try again, or to continue making the payment regardless.
No Match	The account details you entered does not match with the record held by the payee’s bank. In such circumstance, you should first contact the person or business of this account for clarification before proceeding to the payment.
Reference not found	The payment reference you entered is not recognised by the payee’s bank. It is likely that a unique reference is required for paying into such account. Please check the reference on the bill or bank statement as specified or contact the payee for details.
Unavailable / unable to check	When some accounts cannot be checked, you will see this message. In this case, it is important that you contact the payee first to confirm their details before proceeding to the payment.

What are the benefits of Confirmation of Payee (CoP)?

CoP helps protect you against Authorised Push Payment (APP) frauds. Fraudsters can trick you into authorising a payment by sending a phishing request which looks to be from a legitimate organisation or person. With name checking via CoP, you could be more confident that you are sending the payment to the intended recipient.

However, CoP alone could not prevent you from being scammed knowingly. That is, when you are tricked into believing the payee and the purpose is genuine. Fraudsters would spend time to gain victims’ trust before asking them to make a payment pretending there is an emergency, a threat of prosecution, etc. Check out what steps you could take to keep fraud at bay.

What payments are affected by the CoP?

CoP checks will be run on all pound sterling payments made online, or in-branch to someone you have not paid before through CHAPS, Faster Payment or Standing Orders. Direct Debits and BACS payments are not included.

Are payees that I have registered before subject to the CoP check?

No. CoP will only be activated when you set up a new payee or amend account details of an existing payee.

Would it affect people who are paying me?

We are in the process of allowing other banks to verify your account held at BEAUK. This enhancement will be rolled out at a later stage.

For this reason, when people make payments to your BEAUK account, they may receive a response saying that a CoP check is not possible. Payment can still be made to your account provided that the paying-in party ensures that your account details are correct.

What name should be inputted for CoP?

You should use the exact full name that appears on the bank statement or invoice issued by the recipient.

If it is a joint account, you will need the exact full name of one of the joint account holders that appears on their bank statement.

To pay a business account, you will need to enter the registered business name or trading name exactly as it appears on the invoice (or equivalent payment instruction). Some businesses may have more than one trading name. If you are unsure, please check directly with the company you are intended to pay before you proceed.

What determines a match on BEAUK’s system?

A match (or otherwise) will be determined by the details you have entered versus the record held by the payee’s bank.

Further information:

Always exercise caution with online payments. Check our latest anti-fraud advice for details of actions to prevent fraud and scams.