How best to verify that an android app is from the real financial institution

Notepad_Phil

Until now I've made very limited use of financial apps on my android tablet but I thought that I would download the NS&I app to give me easier access to the various accounts I have with them.

The only other financial app I have was very easy to install as I just went to the known URL for that institution and down at the bottom there was link that when clicked took me straight to the Google app store.

However there doesn't seem to be a link from the nsandi.com URL so I'm not sure how I would 100% verify that the app which I found on the store by searching for NS&I is the correct version and not some scam app that someone has managed to get loaded on there.

Now I'm sure as I can be that it is legit as there's been 100K+ downloads and the publisher looks to be the same as per the premium bond checker which does have a link from nsandi.com. But it got me thinking as to the lengths that scammers might go to and so how could I be as certain as possible that I had the right app installed?

Murmansk

I appreciate your concern and it's wise to be ultra cautious. Assuming that you can, having installed and used the app in question, also access your account via their website or by phone, I'd be inclined to use the app, deposit £5 and then attempt to see if it's there in the account via their website and/or by ringing them using the public number on their website.

pramsay13

The app stores won't allow scam banking apps on their platforms so you can be reasonably confident as long as you download from the official Play Store.