The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is alerting Internet banking customers to a nationwide e-mail scam which has duped some users into handing over their NetBank client numbers and passwords.
In a statement, the bank said the NetBank system had not been compromised and that it continued to guarantee the safety of customers' funds. However, CBA is providing a helpline for customers who "encounter problems" with their accounts.
The fake message has the subject "Netbank Security Server Update" and asks recipients to reactivate their NetBank accounts. The HTML version of the mail is formatted with the Commonwealth Bank logo and points users to an IP address in Florida. The bogus site has since been taken down.
Commonwealth Bank is not giving details of the numbers of customers who have been deceived by the rogue e-mail. John Geurts, head of group security, says the bank is working with police in an attempt to track down the fraudsters behind the scam.
He says that any users that have received the e-mail and actioned the instructions should visit the Commonwealth Bank site, click through to NetBank logon, change passwords and check their account details.
He adds: "We encourage customers to monitor their accounts and notify the bank if they have any queries."
Australian banks have been plagued by a wave of attempted electronic banking crime in recent months. A fraud taskforce established by the Australian Bankers Association in December - after a counterfeit card skimming gang raided cash machines in Syndey - has recently floated the idea of introducing new procedures and technology for verifying customer IDs during both online and offline transactions.