24 January 2008
NatWest is the most popular name used by internet fraudsters attempting to gain access to consumers' credit card details, it has been revealed.
New research from anti-spam company ClearMyMail shows that, fraudulent emails sent in December 2007, 41% came from NatWest.
Citibank and HSBC came second and third on the list, with 27% and 11% respectively.
The average customer was also found to have been sent such an email from a 'financial institution' at the rate of over one a day.
Such emails closely imitate the structure of an email from a bank - and commonly, the technique is known as 'phishing' - and can lead to customers being tricked into sending their credit card details voluntarily to the criminals.
Managing director at ClearMyMail Dan Field commented: "Without any email protection UK online banking customers are at severe risk of being tricked into giving away their account details to criminal gangs.
"The phishing emails are very well constructed and often look exactly like a legitimate message from the bank."
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
Content for the uSwitch.com market news service is provided by a third party, Adfero Ltd. Whilst uSwitch.com makes reasonable efforts to check the reliability of this content, uSwitch.com does not guarantee the accuracy thereof or endorse the views or opinions given by Adfero Ltd, unless expressly stated otherwise.