ING.cz Security

ING provides the following general information to answer any concerns that you may have around the security of online transactions. More specific information should be available from your bank.

ING makes every effort to provide optimal security of your data and of all transactions; for us protecting our clients is just good business. However hard we work there are risks online, and you can take some action to protect yourself. Here we provide some information to help you.

Latest key security issues
ING’s standard practices
Verifying websites
Protecting Yourself
Contact Information

Latest Key Security Issues

From time to time we will provide information on security related news items that we feel you should be aware of. These security updates will be presented on this page.

Phishing

A phishing attack is an online fraud technique which involves sending official-looking email messages with return addresses, links and branding that all appear to come from legitimate banks, retailers, credit card companies, etc. Such emails typically contain a hyperlink to a spoof website and mislead account holders to enter customer names and security details on the pretence that security details must be updated or changed. Once you give them your information it can be used on legitimate sites to take your money.

It is important that you are suspicious of emails asking for your information; see more on ING’s standard email practices below.

Imitation of ING websites

ING monitors the internet to find imitation websites which are often the first step made by phishers. We then work with the appropriate international authority to get the websites closed down as quickly as possible – sometimes on the same day we find the website.

Advanced Fee Fraud

You may already have heard of ‘advance fee fraud’, where emails offering large sums of money are sent to thousands of email addresses, but a modest ‘fee’ was required in order to cover legal fees, open an account or pay customs charges. Sometimes the money offered is as a result of a lottery for which you have never bought a ticket. Sometimes the money is held in an account overseas but the account owner cannot access it, they promise a percentage of the money in return for your help. In both cases various fees have to be paid.

Do not respond to these emails. They are part of a fraud and you will not receive any of the promised money.

We place this warning here because we are aware that the criminals carrying out these frauds do on occasion use the name of ING or an ING subsidiary as part of this scam.

ING’s standard practices

ING may communicate with clients by mail on occasion, so how can you tell which mails are from us, and which are fraudulent?

ING will address you by name in any emails.
ING will not embed hyperlinks in emails that take you to sites where you must enter your security information.
ING will never ask for you to confirm your details by email
ING will use state-of-the-art encryption and authentication mechanisms to secure the transactions; these will vary by bank so check with your bank about the processes used.

If clients have any doubt about any email they have received purporting to be from ING they should contact their bank.

Verifying Websites

Clients must be sure that the site they are entering really belongs to ING, and is a secure site;

Check that your website is secure

The URL will begin with https://

If https, the secure lock icon, a small padlock will appear on the lower bar of the browser.

padlock icon

Click on the padlock icon to see the details of the security certificate. The certificate shows who owns the site; it should be your bank. Check that the details and validity are correct.

We work with well known certification authorities such as Verisign, Global Sign and Thawte.

If customers have any doubts about a website they should contact their bank.

Protect Yourself

Take care of your personal information

Your account numbers, customer Number, PIN, memorable date and customer identification number are the keys to your account. Never write them down, give them to anyone else or include them in an e-mail. Remember that protecting your Customer Number, PIN and security details is your responsibility.

Take care of your computer

Update your computer by installing the latest software and patches, to prevent hackers or viruses exploiting any known weaknesses in your computer
Install and update virus protection, to protect against viruses corrupting your computer and to prevent hackers installing Trojan viruses on your computer
Install and update anti-spyware tools.
Install and update personal firewalls
Use only programmes from a known, trusted supplier.

Beware of Spam Emails

Use a spam filter to avoid even seeing these messages
Never respond to a spam message, your email address is then recorded as live and the spam will increase.
Should you read a spam message remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

More info

The US Federal Trade Commission provides information here on how to avoid phishing scams
The Anti-Phishing Working Group provides statistics on phishing attacks and advice for individuals and companies.
For more information please contact your own bank.

Explanation of terms

Phishing
1. It is often translated into the Czech language as "rhybhaření"
2. It is a fraud E-mail message, trustworthy at first sight, whose objective is to fraudulently elicit information on accounts, credit card numbers or similar information, which can be easily misused. (From the English word fishing, phreaking, which is a relatively new, slang expression describing a theft of a telephone service (wiretapping of a service, telephone call at the expense of somebody else or a telecommunication company). Phishing is a theft of sensitive information, e.g. data on a credit card or theft of user name and password to some service. The most typical current phishing is a false E-mail looking like it was sent from your bank where the bank asks for verification of identity. After clicking on the link the user is led to a false site (however, it looks like it is all right) where he enters his data and consequently looses money.
SSL certifikát
Shortly said, SSL certificate is the identification card of the server comprising an encrypting key, by which data are safely protected against irregular practices during the transmission through the Internet. By this certificate the server proves safe (coded) communication at the start. The certificate includes among other things:
1. Information on its time validity
2. Digital description of the certificating authority, which issued this certificate
3. Information, which server can prove itself by this certificate.
SSL means Secure Sockets Layer and is a coding protocol/layer proposed by the firm Netscape, which runs between the transportation and application layers, above TCP/IP layer and under the protocols HTTP,FTP and the like and provides security of communication with the help of coding and authorisation proves of the communicating parties. SSL is a protocol for safe transmission of data via the Internet, which makes it impossible thanks to the coding that data from your card is read by somebody else on the way – you will recognise it according to the added "s" in https://... or "locked padlock" in the browser.
HTTP
HyperText Transport Protocol, which is used for communication between the browser and the web server. It enables to transmit html sites from www to the user. It is probably the most common protocol at the Internet, which serves to display Internet sites, in many cases it is replaced by the coded variant HTTPS, which is safer.
HTTPS
It is a coded variant of HTTP protocol, which is coded through SSL. Port 443 is implicit for this protocol.