Some TSB customers couldn’t access online banking services on Monday, with users on both the app and the website receiving error messages when trying to access their accounts, according to BBC News. Many of the affected customers were unable to get past the security questions, some for several hours. A number of users even reported their accounts had been blocked while trying to log in with the correct details. The bank said it was working to fix the issue as quickly as possible, and that only a “very small number” of people were affected.
Every time a bank goes offline for any length of time, cybercriminals aren’t far behind. They are quick to jump on genuine faults in a service and can rapidly organize phishing campaigns that seem legitimate to customers. Random emails from your bank may usually be met with a level of apprehension, but after an outage has been reported, customers may assume that some form of contact would be normal. If the emails are well-designed and include links to bogus sites demanding further private information, this is where scams can start and money can be lost.
It is always vital to check the validity of any form of contact from your bank and never divulge any personal information until you are certain you are on the correct site.