14 DAY TRIAL // Customers of First Direct, the division of HSBC that provides telephone and Internet-based retail banking services, are advised to be on the lookout for suspicious emails which inform them that their accounts have been blocked.
“You account access has been blocked due to a violation of our terms. Reference : kjm49627. CLICK HERE TO RESTORE YOUR ACCOUNT,” read the emails entitled “Security Notice - Access Blocked.”
Internauts who fall for the scam and click on the link, are taken to a phishing website where they’re asked to provide their username, password, security questions and their associated answers, telephone banking password, name, sort code, account number, date of birth, credit card number, card expiry date, 3-digit security code, and other details.
Once the data is entered, victims are redirected to the official First Direct website. However, at this point, all their information is “safely” stored in a database controlled by cybercriminals.
The large quantity of info can be used by the crooks to perform fraudulent transactions on the victim’s account.
In case you’re a victim of this scam, contact the financial institution immediately, before the scammers get the chance to cause any damage.
