The Lloyds Banking Group, which now includes Lloyds TSB, Halifax and the Bank of Scotland, has warned customers to be on the lookout for internet scammers targeting its name.
The Lloyds Banking Group was created last month following the acquisition of HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland) by the Lloyds TSB Group, making it the largest retail bank in the UK. According to its website, one in three customers bank with the group.
It was warned that opportunistic fraudsters could run phishing scams asking for personal details by sending email which claims to be from the newly-formed group.
While phishing involving emails pretending to be sent from banks have been around a long time, it is still likely that less internet savvy customers could fall for such tricks as they become more sophisticated.
Last month, HMRC warned about criminals targeting taxpayers near to the self assessment deadline, while IT PRO also revealed how next-generation techniques could allow criminals to phish without emailing, by compromising real-time online banking sessions.
"Fraudsters are opportunists, who are on the hunt for new ways to dupe customers," said Rob Devey, managing director of direct channels at Lloyds Banking Group, in a statement.
"It should come as no surprise that the creation of Lloyds Banking Group may trigger another spate of phishing attacks."
He advised customers to never respond to emails asking for security details.
