Confirmation of Payee

Helping you make safer payments online

What is Confirmation of Payee?

Like many banks across the UK, we are introducing a new account name checking service for payments made via the Global Cash web portal and mobile app. The aim is to prevent fraud and reduce the number of payments which are made by mistake.

Known as ‘Confirmation of Payee,’ this new service is an additional security step to help check that you are paying the right person or business.

For further information on the service, please download our factsheet.

How does Confirmation of Payee work?

When using Global Cash to send money to someone you have never paid before you will be asked for the name of the account holder. We will confirm these details with the beneficiary bank before you continue with the payment. This service will be available for domestic sterling payments between banks that have enrolled in the Confirmation of Payee service.

When setting up the payment, Global Cash will display the outcome of the check, as follows:

A successful check:

  • YES, the name is a match.
    The correct account type and name of the account holder has been provided; you can proceed with the payment.

An unsuccessful check:

  • NO, the name is not a match, please check the details with the account holder.
    Using these details may lead to payments being sent to the wrong account.

The receiving bank has advised that the name of the account holder does not match with the account or reference information provided and this could be a sign of a fraudulent transaction.

We advise that you confirm these details with the recipient before proceeding with the payment, however you can decide to make the payment without checking. When contacting someone you would like to pay, please ensure you use trusted contact details that you have validated as genuine.

An unsuccessful check although it is close to being successful:

  • NO, but the name is a close match, do you mean “XXXXXXX”? Please check the details with the account holder.
  • NO, whilst the name is a match, the account is a BUSINESS and not a personal account. Please check the details with the account holder.
    Using these details may lead to payments being sent to the wrong account.
  • NO, whilst the name is a match, the account is a PERSONAL and not a business account. Please check the details with the account holder.
    Using these details may lead to payments being sent to the wrong account.
  • NO, but the name is a close match, do you mean “XXXXXXX”? Also, the account is a BUSINESS and not a personal account. Please check the details with the account holder.
    Using these details may lead to payments being sent to the wrong account.
  • NO, but the name is a close match, do you mean “XXXXXXX”? Also, the account is a PERSONAL and not a business account. Please check the details with the account holder.
    Using these details may lead to payments being sent to the wrong account.

The name entered is similar to that of the account holder and you may be shown the actual name of the account holder, and/or the account type is wrong.

You can decide whether or not to make the payment or whether to confirm with the person or business you are paying. When contacting someone you would like to pay, please ensure you use a trusted phone number that you know is genuine.

It is not possible to perform a check:

  • Account cannot be accessed. Please check the details with the account holder.
  • Account does not participate in service. Please check the details with the account holder.
  • Unable to check the name

The payee’s account does not allow us to confirm their details. This may be because their bank has not enabled Confirmation of Payee, or it could be a type of account that cannot be checked.

We advise that you confirm these details with the recipient before proceeding with the payment, however you can decide to make the payment without checking.

FAQs

You will need:

  • The account type (personal or business)
  • The first and last name of the account holder (personal) OR the account name as it appears on an invoice (business)
  • The destination sort code (6 digits)
  • The destination account number (8 digits)
  • Secondary reference information (if advised by payee)

In order to receive a payment, you will need to provide the name of the account holding entity as it appears on the bank account, as well as your account number and sort code. This information can be found in Global Cash or on a recent bank statement.

The Confirmation of Payee check will use the legal/registered name of the account holding entity.

If you are informed that people are experiencing difficulties when making payments to your account due to the Confirmation of Payee name check, please contact Client Support at cash.managment@sgcib.com and we can advise the appropriate course of action.

A Confirmation of Payee check only takes place when you are setting up a new creditor that has a UK domestic account which you have never paid before or when you are amending an existing creditor that has a UK domestic account.

Please enter as much of the name as you can. If the outcome of the check shows that the name does not match the account details provided, please confirm with the recipient before proceeding to make the payment.

If all of the information needed to process your payment is correct, then your payment will be made within our usual timescales.

All payment providers, including banks, use the Open Banking directory service and secure technology to safely exchange payment details. Your data will be secure.

As Societe Generale, London Branch only provides payment services to corporate entities, then we will not offer an opt-out to our customers from the Confirmation of Payee service.

The service is not currently used by all banks, however increasingly banks are opting to include this additional security step as they aim to prevent fraud.

You can find further information on Confirmation of Payee at https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/confirmation-of-payee