Sending bank details by email?

There's only three things that could be done with your account number and sort code;
1. Set up a Direct Debit and attempt to take money out. To be able to set up the DD in the first place the company must subscribe to the DD Guarantee, meaning that if they take or try to take money that you didn't agree to, you can claim it right back and have any related charges immediately refunded.
2. Attempt to set up a Standing Order. This could only be done in writing, to your bank's head office. As the payment could only go to another UK account, even if it was set up (unlikely given it would need to be signed by you and written requests are carefully checked) then it would be an extremely simple matter for your bank to investigate who it went to.
3. Pay money into your account; this is what you're wanting anyway. And I doubt you'd want to complain of someone wanted to give you more...

All in all, your account number and sort code are safe details to give out.
As above; any cheques have these details on, as does your debit card and your statements that come through the post. Any of these would be relatively easy places to get these details from, and banks are happy to continue, and have been for a long time.

antrobus wrote: »

Somebody could take your bank details and use them to set up a direct debit with a third party that was not connected with the 'somebody'. Which is what happened to Jeremy Clarkson. He gave out his bank details on air, and somebody went and set up a DD using these details, and thus a fraction of the Clarkson millions got diverted into the coffers of some charity.

Mind you that's not exactly what I would call a major threat. There must be a limited number of things you can pay for by DD that it would be worth someone's while trying to do so using someone else's bank details, so I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Still completely covered by the DD guarantee which allows you to do a complete and (supposed to be) immediate indemnity retrieval...