HSBC Bank customers have been receiving fraudulent text messages in recent days asking them to dial in to a 1-800 number and enter their account information over the phone.
Customer service personnel at HSBC confirmed that the text message scam had impacted numerous bank customers since Monday, but a spokesman for the bank said there is no evidence of any HSBC "data breach" or of any customer information, including credit card numbers, being compromised.
The text message read, "HSBC ALERT," and provided a number to call, which led to a professional recording that asked for account information.
The spokesman would not confirm whether the issue was widespread among HSBC accountholders, as the customer service personnel had indicated. He did not comment on why the bank did not alert customers of the scam, but he said the bank encourages customers to be "vigilant about protecting their personal information."
In addition, the HSBC spokesman said it has never been the company's policy to contact customers via text message, and that consumers should contact the bank if they believe their account has been compromised by a scam. HSBC's web site says that customers will not be held liable for any unauthorized charges.
A similar texting fraud scheme impacted HSBC customers in the New York area last October, when an automated message told customers to enter account information.
It's unclear whether random cell phone numbers may have been rounded up by scam artists, or if HSBC customers in particular are being targeted. The HSBC spokesman would not comment in greater detail, but said the bank's data had not been breached.
The bank has had issues with data theft in the past.
Text message scams have also impacted other banks in the past, such as JP Morgan Chase.