AIB Customers Receive Scam E-mail

Allied Irish Banks (AIB) has issued an alert to its online banking consumers to be wary of a new e-mail scam.

The e-mail, which uses the caption "AIB Bank... You have 1 new security notification", asks the recipient to access his online banking account for following all the steps that the 'AIB Customer Service' has outlined.

Moreover, the e-mail appears very convincing as it uses the AIB logo as well as details of various AIB facilities like loans, investment, insurance and credit cards. Further, the text of the e-mail says that because of several phishing scams and fraud attempts, the bank has decided to enforce EV SSL Certification on its online banking website. Therefore, users need to update their account to the newly implemented Certification by following the given link, the text states.

As a result, online banking customers enter their 8 digit registration number, 5 digit private access code and the 4 digit residence phone number so that accounts could be legitimately checked, the message suggests.

However, AIB emphasized that it never conducts business over e-mail that requires any client of the bank to disclose his private access and registration numbers. Meanwhile, the fraudulent e-mail contains other information that appears on the AIB website along with the bank's security policy. In conclusion, the e-mail thanks the consumer for his attention.

Furthermore, the bank said that it had come to know that several phishing e-mails that posed to arrive from AIB were circulating on the Web. Fraudsters were sending out a convincing e-mail that posed to be a message from AIB but solicited credit card and online banking particulars. The criminals even created a bogus AIB online banking page.

AIB said that it was taking urgent steps to block the fraud operation.

However, according to security experts, the AIB case of e-mail scam isn't the sole one. Another similar scam exposed in March 2009 falsely promised tax refunds and purported to have come from the Revenue Commissioners. The e-mail titled, "Revenue - Irish Tax & Customs", solicited personal information like debit and credit card numbers from the recipient.

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» SPAMfighter News - 4/16/2009