Al Ain: Do not reveal or send sensitive banking information to anyone through emails as credit card, ATM, and debit card users in the country have come under a renewed phishing (internet scam) attack.

The situation has forced some banks to issue warnings to their customers, alerting them about e-mail phishing through which hackers try and collect sensitive information. The e-mails sent by the fraudsters appear to be from a legitimate bank.

"These e-mails look genuine and always contain a link to a 'spoofed' website asking you to provide update or confirm sensitive personal information," states a circular sent by a leading foreign bank in the UAE to its customers.

Even if you do not provide what they ask for, said the circular, simply clicking the link could trigger a background installation of key logging software or viruses.

"Key logging is another method to capture your personal information& This is a very real risk when using public or shared computers such as those in internet cafes," the bank said.

A seasoned banker in Al Ain, who asked not be named, has warned people to not respond to such e-mails since banks will never ask their customers for any sensitive information through e-mails.

"Do not try to open or download an attachment in a fraudulent e-mail&instead delete the e-mail straightaway and contact your bank for further guidance," he said.

Responding to such e-mails and downloading an attachment or even clicking on a hyperlink may lead people to fall into the hackers' trap, said the banker. In case of any doubt in the mind, he said, people need to reset their pin codes and passwords immediately to prevent any financial losses.

He said a good protection methods is to immediately contact the bank after receiving the mail and follow the banks' safety instruction which they often provide to the customers. "It's a serious issue and people should not take it light," he added.

Mohammad Ali, a computer security expert in Al Ain, said the online services of the banks operating in the UAE are well protected but the users keep in mind that nothing is 100 per cent safe on the internet. People using online banking facilities must have to keep their computers free of viruses, key loggers, Trojans, and other malwares.

"Banking, commercial, and any sensitive communication should not be done from the computers at an internet café as they are mostly infected with viruses and key loggers," he said. A good anti-virus or internet security software must be installed on the personal computers that should be regularly updated.

Ali said may people have been using search bars, online messengers, and voice over internet software. "Many of such software also install key loggers or collect the users' information without their knowledge," he said.

Phishing: How to avoid being a victim

Do's 

- Take notice of warnings given out by your bank. 

- Delete the email straightaway and contact your bank for guidance.

- Keep your computer free of viruses, key loggers, Trojans (viruses) and malware. 

- Remember that nothing on the internet is 100 per cent safe.
n Immediately change you pin code and passwords if you have responded to such an email, to prevent financial losses.

Don'ts 

- Respond to any email that asks for your bank account details.

- Try to open or download an attachment in a fraudulent email.