During the first half of 2010, a number of clients were the victims of a phishing attack in
which criminals used hoax e-mails to collect log-in codes before contacting affected clients
by telephone to ask for their signing codes. They were successful in a small number of cases.
Also in 2010, the computers of several clients were infected by a banking Trojan, a virus that
tries to insert itself between the client's computer and the bank during online banking sessions.
The improvements in monitoring have paid off in this area too.
Skimming
Skimming involves copying the magnetic data on a bank card or credit card and obtaining the
user's PIN in one way or another. Bank cards are then forged, which criminals use to withdraw
cash, often abroad. Various steps have been taken to protect Rabobank's ATMs, as a result of
which our ATMs have not been affected by skimming for over a year. Intensive sector-wide talks
are being held on skimming that involves POS terminals in shops, unstaffed petrol stations
and ticket dispensers in car parks, and action is being taken to combat this particular form of
crime. At the same time, there are effective methods for detecting skimming, and if a skimming
attack is detected, the relevant bank cards are blocked as a preventative measure, after which
the affected clients are notified and compensated if necessary. Within the foreseeable future,
payments will be made using the chips found in bank cards, and the magnetic stripe will no
longer be used for payments in the Netherlands or any other SEPA countries. This will lead to
a substantial reduction in the problem of skimming for Dutch clients and banks.
Blowing open ATMs
For the past two years, Rabobank has suffered a great deal as a consequence of ATMs being
blown open by criminals. As this form of crime can have serious consequences in terms of both
structural damage and concerns within the community, Rabobank purchased a system to
prevent attacks. We have developed this system further, and it has proved to be highly effective
against all attacks on ATMs fitted with an anti-explosive solution. This system is now being
rapidly installed. In addition to this main measure, supplementary measures are also being
taken to prevent such attacks.
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Focusing on the customer