Three out of twelve account holders at the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) had been reimbursed in full on Friday, following a series of unauthorised transactions from their accounts on Wednesday night.

The three clients reportedly had their money stolen from Agribank ATMs, whereas the other cardholders’ accounts were hacked into using counterfeit cards at other credit institutions’ ATMs. If the loss is not the customer’s fault, Agribank promised to refund them in due course.

Previously, having received complaints from several customers about experiencing unauthorised withdrawal notifications on their mobile banking service, Agribank had proceeded to shut down the allegedly hacked accounts on Thursday, though these illegal transactions were not immediately stopped.

Preliminary verification results showed that customers’ card information had been stolen at ATMs, and the banks are cooperating with investigators and customers to collect evidence and will respond to customers soon, while instructing clients to carry out the necessary safety procedures to quickly resolve their complaints.

Should any suspicious activities arise, customers can actively lock their cards and accounts using the Agribank E-mobile Banking application and promptly notify the bank for coordinated handling, in order to limit cases of data abuse and theft.

With the increasing trend of high-tech criminals, Agribank strongly advises customers to maintain their card security and PIN codes, and register with Agribank E- Mobile Banking to receive notifications of changes in their account balance.

Recently, with the rise in high-tech crime, Agribank has increased its investment in online security systems and asset safeguarding.

On Monday, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) issued guidelines on ensuring banking service quality and security. For all card payment service providers, the SBV required them to strictly pay attention to the process of anti-piracy equipment installation and upgrades, to prevent the theft of account information and hacking before and during the upcoming national holiday. — VNS