Hackers have successfully infiltrated the internal SMS system of First Bank of Nigeria Limited by sending out fraudulent text messages to customers of the bank claiming that their account and ATM had been blocked due to the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and asking the customers to call a particular GSM number to rectify the situation.
The text message by the hackers using the name of First Bank read thus:
Dear customer, as regard to cashless policy, Your Account, ATM has been Locked due to change in date of birth, Contact customer care on 08111282787 to rectify.
But some customers that called the number reported the response thus:
You are not allowed to call this number.
During a visit this morning to First Bank branch at Ikotun in Lagos, a customer care officer said the message came from hackers and not from the bank. He warned customers of the bank not to call the number or disclose their account and ATM details for any reason.
He said the bank is aware of the situation but could not explain why First Bank has failed to send out a counter text message to its customers nationwide to protect them from falling victims to the hackers.
