13 online banking deceits involving $9.66m recorded in 1Q

Alert has been issued.

According to a report, police have warned the public to beware of online fraud, saying 13 Internet banking deception cases were recorded in the first four months of this year, compared to just five last year.

The deception cases involved $9.66 million. In most of the cases, the victims were asked to transfer money to overseas or Mainland accounts.

Fraudulent emails purporting to be sent from banks were sent to the victims, asking them to open attachments, which contained viruses to infect their computers.

The fake websites look similar to the banks' online banking logon webpage, and ask customers to enter their username and password.

Police urge the public not to open unexplained emails and attachments, and to install anti-virus software. People should contact their banks if they are in doubt when logging into Internet banking websites.