Over this past week, I have been receiving numerous messages from major banks in Malaysia with the subject header: Important Update, Update Reminder, Security Alert, Security Verification or something or other with just an urgent or important tone.
The most common “banks” are Maybank, CIMB and Public Bank. Of course, when I use inverted commas on the word bank, you will know that these email messages are not from the real banks. They are phishing attempts and I am glad that my email spam filter managed to catch all of them!
Do know that a reputable bank will never send you an email and for that matter call you on the phone requiring you to disclose your log in details and other credentials in an unsecured environment.
And even if a bank or financial institution suffers a lapse of judgment by doing so, you should NEVER click on any link provided, for your convenience, in an email. Access the website directly from your browser by typing in the address in the address bar manually. If you are using Firefox, the browser will let you know that you have accessed a trusted website by showing green on the address bar.
Take care of your security online!