Banks warn of bogus email thefts

People who receive emails requesting bank account information and personal details have been urged not to respond as they are likely to be from bogus companies.

The British Bankers` Association (BBA) has warned that banks and building societies will never contact customers through emails in this way and that all such correspondence should be avoided.

As a result of such emails, the number of so-called phishing attacks - where personal details are stolen for financial gain - increased by nearly 45 per cent between 2005 and 2006, figures from the UK payments association Apacs show.

A spokesman for the BBA said: "Normally these emails will divert you to a replica of a bank`s website and they can look almost identical. So it`s just important to remember that a bank will never email you asking you for your personal details in that way."

The BBA is the principal trade association for banks operating in the UK.