The email below which claims the recipients' Bank of Montreal accounts have been suspended is a phishing scam. Therefore, BMO customers who have received text or email messages claiming that their accounts have been suspended are asked not to click on the links or follow the instructions in the messages. This is because the fake messages are phishing scams being sent by cybercriminals to trick Bank of Montreal customers into clicking on the links in the same fake messages, which go to a phishing website that steals online account credentials and personal information.
Once the cybercriminals have received their potential victims’ online account credentials, they will gain access to their accounts, steal their money and use their accounts fraudulently.
A Sample of a Phishing Bank of Montreal (BMO) Message
From: "BMO ® Credit Card" <rposirajgonj@passport.gov.bd>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2018 4:55pm
Subject: ** Temporary Account Suspension
** Temporary Account Suspension:
Your BMO MasterCard/Online baking account has been temporarily blocked due to multiple failed login or activation attempts.
Note:
This action was taken to protect your account and as our customer, we
understand that the security of your account is extremely important.
Please click the link below to reactivate your account.
https://digitalb#nking.bmo.com/bmoconline/uux.aspx#/login
If you are having problems reactivating your account, please contact customer care on: 1 800 263-2263
Bank of Montreal users who have received messages asking them to click on a link or visit a website in order to update, re-confirm or verify their accounts, should always go directly to https://www.bmo.com/ and sign-in from there. Once the Bank of Montreal users have signed into their accounts, they will be notified of updates and other important changes, if there is any.
Going directly to Bank of Montreal’s website (www.bmo.com) will prevent users or customers from becoming victims of phishing scams that steal personal information or online account credentials.