Permanent TSB customers are currently being targeted by a phishing scam that attempts to steal log-in information and passwords to the banking website.

If you happen to receive an email similar to the one below, do not respond or click on any links in the email.

Dear Esteem Customer

Due to multiple attempt error while trying to login in to your online Permanent TSB Online Account. We believed that someone other than you is trying to access your Account For security reasons, we have temporarily Flagged your account and your access to online banking will be restricted until this issue is solved.

Update your Permanent TSB Account now to enjoy the benefits of online banking and safer online banking experience.

Click here to proceed

Thanks for taking the time to learn about our upcoming plan for Enhance Online Security – it’s one more way that Permanent TSB online banking can makes your online banking experience better..

Irish Life & Permanent plc is a limited liability company registered in Dublin under No. 222332. The company’s registered office is: Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1.

Closer investigation of the email shows that the link actually points to a Brazillian website.

<a href="http://www.cspconsultoria.eng.br/logs/easyweb.php">

The email which we investigated comes from an insecure mail server run by an Australian company.

Received: from User (mail.blighcapital.com.au [59.167.233.41])

While most Irish school kids would regard hacking into their friends or classmates email account as a joke or a bit of fun it is viewed completely different in Qatar. A schoolboy found guilty of the aforementioned offence has been sentenced to 1 year in jail and fined almost €2,000. It has been reported that an obscene image was forwarded from the account and the password changed.

“We assure you that we can crack a cybercrime immediately after it is committed, so people would do better to abstain,” said a Qatar official. He added that the law provided for three years’ prison term for the offenders in such cases.

“We are citing the example of the secondary school student to tell one and all that no one who commits a cybercrime in the country can go unpunished,” he said.

Google has released a new two-step verification process to help deter computer hackers from accessing email accounts and other Google services.

This will require users to enter a six digit code after having entered their password when logging on from a different device. The six digit code will be sent to the users mobile phone.

This feature will be rolled out initially to companies and government agencies that use Google services for email and other applications.

It is expected that in the next few months users of Google’s free Email service Gmail will have the option of enabling this feature.