Two Canadian banks released statements on Monday that cyber criminals may have stolen data of nearly 90,000 customers from Bank of Montreal and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
According to a Reuters report, Canada’s fourth biggest lender, Bank of Montreal, said it was contacted by fraudsters on Sunday who claimed they had hacked and possessed customer personal and financial data. A spokesperson from the bank said a limited number, 50,000 out of 8 million, of the bank’s customers were hacked. The bank did not comment on whether any customers had lost money from the cyber attack.Â
Canada’s fifth biggest lender, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), also said that fraudsters contacted them on Sunday claiming to have stolen personal and account data on 40,000 customers of its Simplii direct banking brand.
Simplii released a statement Monday advising their customers of the security issue and recommendations to safeguard their personal data.
CIBC said they are taking the hackers’ claims seriously although they haven’t confirmed the breach as of Monday. The bank also said their main banking customers were not affected.