7th March 2006
Raiffeisenbank prevented attempts at misuse of internet banking in time
There were no misused accounts due to our timely action. Nonetheless, the bank reminds the client to take due care when logging into internet banking. The clients have the opportunity to choose from several methods of security for internet banking.
Raiffeisenbank a.s. was successful in revealing attempted misuse of its internet banking in time. „There were no losses for clients due our timely action. Still we recommend the clients to pay extra attention to the login page when logging into internet banking. Should they have any doubts they are advised to call the contact line at 800900 900,“ said member of the bank’s board of directors, Mario Drosc.
The bank has noticed only one attempted misuse of internet banking. When logging in using a certificate, the client was displayed a fraudulent interface, which asked him to enter the password and path to the certificate again. „The client’s response was the only right one – he did not reflect the page in any manner and contacted the bank immediately,“ Drosc added. Among other, the false page contains wrong text, moreover stating misspelled word „uveďte“. This login page also lacks a warning about the so-called phishing.
Should other clients notice any non-standard procedure when logging into internet banking, they are advised to contact the bank by calling the toll-free line at 800 900 900. During the standard procedure, clients log into internet banking by entering their name and password; active operations also require a certificate and another password. Clients have the opportunity to use other methods of security as well, in particular one-time SMS codes confirming every active transaction.
The SMS code is an eight-digit one-time password sent to the user’s mobile phone, which the user enters into the internet banking application. The SMS code is limited to one specific transaction and for a certain period of time. Using certificate and sending the SMS code is free.
Fraudulent e-mails or pages aimed at stealing internet banking access codes from clients are recently more and more frequent on the internet. „Clients must not respond to such prompts in any case; on the contrary, they should contact their bank as soon as possible,“ notes Mario Drosc. Raiffeisenbank never sends such letters or e-mails to clients; all communications take place by means of secured messages within the internet banking system.
The mentioned attempted misuse of direct banking concerns only the internet banking system and only the signature certificate security method. This attempted attack is not related to any other services, including Gemini and MultiCash home banking applications.
There was not a single misuse of an account via internet banking since 2001, when Raiffeisenbank introduced the channel. Raiffeisenbank regularly receives awards for the best internet banking in the Czech Republic – for example, it was successful in the competition of Global Finance magazine in the last year. Security of the internet application is one of the deciding aspects in similar competitions.
Tomáš Kofroň
Raiffeisenbank a.s.
Basic information about Raiffeisenbank a.s.
Raiffeisenbank a.s. (RBCZ) provides a wide range of banking services in the Czech Republic to individual as well as corporate clients. The bank is part of the Austrian financial group Raiffeisen, which also offers products and services in building society savings (Raiffeisen stavební spořitelna), insurance (UNIQA pojišťovna) and leasing (Raiffeisen-Leasing, Raiffeisen-Leasing Real Estate) in the Czech Republic. RBCZ currently has 53 sales points, evenly located throughout the Czech Republic.
In 2005, the bank reported a profit of CZK 371.5 million, up by 26 percent against the year 2004. The bank’s total assets were up by one fifth to CZK 75.9 billion, due in particular to the rise in loans. For the first three quarters of 2006, the bank showed a profit of CZK 493.4 million, up by 77 percent in annual comparison.
The majority shareholder of RBCZ is the Austrian financial institution Raiffeisen International Bank Holding AG. In 16 markets of Central and Eastern Europe, Raiffeisen International
serves 11.7 million clients at 2,775 sales points. The most recent new members of the group are Ukraine’s Bank Aval, Russia’s Impexbank and Czech Republic’s eBanka. Since 2005, the group’s shares have been quoted at the Vienna Stock Exchange. The largest initial public offering in Austrian history will allow the bank for further development in Central and Eastern Europe. The majority shareholder is RZB Group with 70 percent; the remaining 30 percent is traded freely on the stock exchange.
In July 2006, Raiffeisen International received Euromoney’s Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe award for the second consecutive time. In addition, the network’s banks received awards for the best banks in five countries of the region. The company also received the Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe awards from the Global Finance and The Banker magazines. In three countries, Raiffeisen group banks received the prestigious Bank of the Year awards from Financial Times.
RBCZ was awarded The Most Dynamic Bank in 2006 in the prestigious MasterCard Bank of the Year contest. The Global Finance magazine named Raiffeisenbank the Bank with the best internet banking in the Czech Republic in November 2006. In October 2006, the bank was also successful in the test of the financial site Fincentrum.cz, which named it the Bank with the second best internet banking in the Czech Republic.
Raiffeisenbank a.s. · Olbrachtova 9 · 140 21, Praha 4, Česká republika
Tel.: 221 141 170 · Fax: 221 142 170
Internet: http://www.rb.cz · E-mail: