An alert has been issued by FraudWatch International warning that Mashreq Bank is the target of a phishing scam.

The alert from FraudWatch, a privately-owned internet security company, reveals a scam e-mail is doing the rounds, which includes a link that directs potential victims to a fake Mashreq website in the hope of obtaining sensitive account information when customers try to log on.

According to the FraudWatch notification, the e-mail address used in the scam is: customerservice@mashreqbank.com with ‘Notification Alert' used in the subject line.

While the fake website includes genuine-looking content, one key giveaway is the fact that it has an obviously incorrect URL from the original Mashreq site.

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This is not the first time an alert has been posted for Mashreq; the bank has been the target of 18 alerts from FraudWatch alone since the start of the year, most involving disguised hyperlinks that redirect users to phishing sites.

Mashreq admits that it has been the target of phishing campaign, but reassures customers that security is priority.

"Mashreq advises UAE residents that the UAE's banking industry, including Mashreq, has been the target of phishing campaigns," Gavin Sanderson, head of distribution at Mashreq told ITP.net. "Mashreq's online banking system is fully secure and safe, and Mashreq regards the security of its customers very seriously. We constantly advise customers through SMS, email campaigns, website and prior to Mashreq online login, not to divulge their personal information, including their online banking logon details to any third party."

"We have sent out over 1 million SMS's to our customers this year, advising them never to respond to any email even proposing to be from their bank," he added.

Any Mashreq customer that suspects they are a phishing victim should contact the bank immediately to close or freeze their account to avoid losing funds.

I am a Mashreq customer and I think I must receive at least one of these emails every week. I always forward them straight on to the bank but unfortunately I never get an acknowledgement or thank you which I think is a shame but given the level of service we get, I'm not surprised.

it wasnt sent by a dot com address, it was sent from a .com.ae address... I KNOW... I got one.... (and i reported it the same day to Mashreq management the same day, a month ago...
this announcement is a bit late, doh!