HSBC Bermuda Warns Customers of Phishing E-mails

The Bank of Bermuda (HSBC) has recently learnt of a phishing e-mail that is trying to target its customers and thus, the Bank is advising its customers to exercise caution.

The bogus e-mail, allegedly coming from the Account Access Dept. Bank of Bermuda (HSBC), informs recipients that their online account has been diagnosed with an internal error. It further asks them to click on a link in order to rectify the error.

Regarding this scam, spokeswoman for the Bank said that they are aware that their customers have received scam e-mails asking them to visit a bogus website and provide their sensitive financial details therein, as per the news published by The Royal Gazette on May 7, 2010. She said that many such fake e-mails are constantly circulating.

The spokeswoman further noted that the Bank has taken immediate action in this particular case and is currently working with appropriate security authorities to take down the fraudulent site.

She requested all the customers to thoroughly reject all such e-mails asking them to validate their personal details. The HSBC Bermuda would never request customers to verify their account numbers, credit/debit card numbers and other log-on details via e-mails, she added.

Moreover, in a bid to help customers and to save them from falling for such scams, the Bank has given some security tips on its official website. These tips include: Passwords are extremely crucial, so avoid assigning same password to different accounts. In this way, customers can put their money in danger as determining password to a single account would be enough for the scammer. Thus, it is strongly recommended to have a unique password to the services as critical as Netbanking.

Users should also ensure that they regularly update the security of their PCs with the latest patches available to safeguard themselves from online frauds and hacking attempts, advised the Bank. Installing a personal firewall is another best option to protect the PC and its contents from the outsiders.

This phishing scam follows the scam highlighted by the Bank in January 2010, wherein the phishing e-mail warned customers that their netbanking access had been suspended for the time being.

Related article: HSBC Alerts Customers of Hoax E-Mail

» SPAMfighter News - 5/18/2010