Tesco Bank hack latest: customers could be hit by further attacks


Updated on 11 November 2016 | 4 Comments

An online safety group has warned Tesco Bank customers to watch out for scam phone calls, emails and other messages.

An online security group has warned that Tesco Bank account holders could be victims of further fraud attempts.

Around 9,000 customers had money stolen from their accounts following a cyber attack earlier this week.

And while they have all been refunded, Get Safe Online believes all Tesco Bank customers could now be at risk from phishing scams.

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How to stay safe

The group is warning them to be on the lookout for suspicious phone calls, emails and other messages from people claiming to be staff at Tesco Bank.

Messages could include instructions to move your money to a new account, confirming login details for security reasons or handing cards over to a courier for checking.

You should also be careful when logging in to your account online, making sure that the URL bar starts with a green 'https' with a padlock next to it rather than just 'http'.

This means that your personal details are encrypted. 

Source: Tesco Bank

Tesco Bank stresses that it'll never ask customers for their full PIN over the phone and will never email links that direct them to their account login page.  

As always, report any dodgy correspondence to Tesco Bank and Action Fraud.  

Refunds

Earlier this week, Tesco Bank refunded £2.5 million to the 9,000 customers who had money stolen in an attack on their accounts.

The bank, which has seven million customers, halted online transactions over the weekend after spotting suspicious activity.

In another new development, there have been reports that the bank could be facing a huge fine from regulators as a result of the attack.

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What happened at the weekend?

Tesco Bank sent out a fraud text alert to account holders on Saturday after it spotted the suspicious activity.

If you're a customer you should check your account for any unusual transactions.

Some account holders reported as much as £600 being taken from their accounts after the breach while others are reporting their balance plummeting by thousands.

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Image: Tesco

What Tesco has said

The bank has apologised and stressed it is urgently investigating the matter.

As well as paying money back into people's accounts, Tesco also said all those that have been impacted will be reissued with a new debit card within seven to 10 days.

Poor response

However, the supermarket bank has been criticised over its handling of the situation so far.

Many customers that called the number in the text message sent on Saturday struggled to get through to speak to an adviser.

 

 

While those that did get through said that the operators dealing with the calls only took their details and promised to get back in touch after 48 hours.

The Tesco Bank Current Account has attracted customers thanks to the offer of 3% on balances up to £3,000 and Clubcard points.

But some customers are now pledging to switch following the poor handling of the crisis.

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