Agribank confirms: only 12 accounts hacked

The incident at Agribank is another warning for customers and the banking system to be more vigilant

Agribank’s deputy general director told VnExpress that only 12 customer accounts were hacked instead of the 400 as initially claimed. The bank has reimbursed three customers whose money was withdrawn by fake cards at Agribank’s ATMs.

“The nine remaining accounts were hacked through other banks’ ATMs and have yet to be reimbursed because we need to collect documents and process them according to regulations,” he said.

Earlier, in the evening of April 25, staff members of a company in Hanoi received text messages of withdrawals from Agribank despite not making any transactions. They contacted the bank to lock their accounts, which Agribank duly confirmed, but the withdrawals did not stop.

One day later, Agribank confirmed that the reason of this incident was that customers and their ATM card information were stolen while using ATM machines.

An expert said that skimming devices might have been inserted into the ATM near the company where the victims work. Skimming devices include an ultra-small camera set up with a sighting on the ATM’s keypad, a card skimmer inserted into the card slot, and a keypad skimmer placed over the ATM’s keypad.

This equipment is used to appropriate the PIN code and card number of anyone using the ATM. Afterwards, the criminals will create fake cards and will start to steal money via ATM withdrawals.

Moreover, customers said that despite locking their accounts at 10 PM, a further VND24 million ($1,060) was withdrawn five hours later.

Along with the rapid development of modern banking services, forms of fraud and high-tech crime are also increasing in both quantity and form. After the Agribank incident, most banks have sent notifications to their customers to bid them to be vigilant to prevent fraud.

However, the entire banking system needs to improve security as well as enhance the responsibility of officers in handling emergencies like this in order to minimise damage of wrought by hacking and identity theft.