Banks call for customers’ caution against cyber attacks

Commercial banks have called for customers to use caution when using telephones and the internet, as hackers may steal from them.

This followed a warning from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), which told credit institutions and payment intermediaries on July 30 that criminals could attack important information technology (IT) systems in Vietnam.

Hoang Thi Na Huong in Hanoi, a Vietcombank customer, said she received notifications of transfer orders of 500 million VND from her Vietcombank account between from 11pm of August 3 until 5am on August 4 while she was at home.

Commercial banks have called for customers to be with caution when using telephones and the internet. Photo: vnexpress.net

The last three of those orders did not send an OTP (one-time password) to her phone as usual. She reported this to Vietcombank and the bank cancelled the last three orders to keep 300 million VND in the bank.

At a meeting on August 11 between Huong and Vietcombank, the bank found that Huong had browsed a scam website on her phone and the site had stolen her banking information and password.

“Vietcombank recommend that customers do not send usernames and password for e-banking access, as well as OTP and bank card numbers, through unfamiliar telephones, emails, social networks, websites and links,” the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam notified customers via text this week.

Vietcombank told the press that scammers had impersonated bank executives and contacted customers asking for internet banking information, which they said needed to give customers gifts, special offers and awards.

Some scammers told customers that they needed information to help customers deal with accounts that were illegally accessed or about to become invalid.

Scammers also impersonated customers’ relatives and requested banking information over social networks to send money to the customers from overseas.

Hackers also falsified bank services by sending links to customers’ emails, defrauding them of security information.

This month, Tien Phong Bank (TPBank) advised customers to change credit cards if they had used their cards to book tickets on Vietnam Airlines website, whose cyber-system was attacked by an alleged Chinese hacker group late last month.

TPBank pledged to assist customers with 60 percent of the card changing fees, according to VnExpress online.

The Vietnam International Bank (VIB) reportedly emailed customers, recommending that they only provide their information on websites with addresses beginning with https:// or with a key symbol.

It also suggested that customers should not carry out card transactions using devices with public internet connections.

Sai Gon Thuong Tin Bank (Sacombank) said customers should not use their names to open accounts for other people, and not transfer money into accounts of strangers.

After the cyber attack at Vietnam Airlines, the SBV asked credit institutions and payment intermediaries to immediately check their IT systems to guarantee security.

Supervision must be strengthened for timely responses to security holes, illegal access and attacks over the cyberspace, the SBV said.