Scotiabank is advising all its customers not to respond to emails requesting their personal or confidential banking information.

In a release on the weekend, the bank said it was aware that there are emails in circulation, claiming to have been issued by the institution, requesting customers to verify their personal and/or confidential banking information. These emails ask customers to click on a link that directs them to a pop-up window or modified online banking log-in page to enter their respective log-in ID and password.

Ignore requests

Senior vice-president of retail and electronic banking, Audrey Tugwell Henry, says, "It is not our policy to ask our customers to verify or update personal and confidential bank account information online, so we are imploring our customers to ignore these requests." She adds, "If they respond by providing information such as the numbers for their savings and chequing accounts, or credit and debit card details, they stand the risk of compromising their banking information and exposing themselves to fraud."

Scotiabank is asking customers who receive emails that appear suspicious to contact the bank at 960-2675.