First National Bank Customers at the Target of Cyber Crooks

Customers of First National Bank of Bryan (Texas, USA) are receiving e-mails, purportedly from the bank, asking them to update their details on bank's website, as per the news published by istockanalyst, on November 19, 2008.

On clicking the link given in the e-mail, customers are directed to a spoofed website that appears like that of the bank. But actually, the e-mails are not sent by the bank and the website to which the users are forwarded is just a phishing trap designed by the evildoers to defraud the users and obtain their bank account details.

Dan Rollins, President and Chief Operating Officer, Prosperity Bank, which acquired First National Bank in November 2008, informed about the closure of the fraudulent website. However, he also added that the increasing incidents of phishing will probably give a boost to such fake sites, as per the news published by istockanalsyt on November 19, 2008.

Further, the scammers are largely engaged in the activities to exploit people. Also, the shift in the bank's ownership may have also been responsible for this phishing scam. Dan Rollins highlighted the fact that in such a situation that was encountered by the bank, e-mail scams rise significantly.

Moreover, this was not the first incident of phishing assault in the region. There has been a considerable elevation in the phishing attacks that are aimed at obtaining the sensitive personal details of the users to drain their bank accounts or to steal the identity.

Additionally, a warning issued on the website of the Prosperity Bank stated that the recipients of such fake e-mail should bring the incident instantly to the notice of the bank. They should not follow the link or contact the phone numbers provided in the e-mail.

It is noteworthy that scammers are seeking the favorable opportunities to make huge earnings in the current situation of economic recession. Consequently, they often target the banks to obtain the personal and financial details of the customers.

Similarly, Hawaii National Bank is also alerting its customers of an e-mail scam that bears the name of the legitimate bank. It is also warning the recipients that they should avoid responding to the e-mail.

Related article: FIRST Reveals Staggering Rise in Computer Hacking in China

» SPAMfighter News - 12/3/2008