Fake ING update emails threaten account suspension in phishing scam

Fraudsters are using urgent emails and a 48-hour deadline to trick ING customers into revealing their banking details.

Fraudsters are circulating fake emails that appear to come from ING, using a supposed system update as cover to try to steal customers’ banking details. The messages push recipients to act fast, warning that their access may be suspended if they do not respond within 48 hours.

According to CHIP, the emails use subject lines such as “Warnung: neue wichtige Nachricht!!” to create urgency and pressure people into clicking. The warning signs are familiar ones: impersonal greetings, suspicious sender addresses and links that claim to verify security settings. The Verbraucherzentrale, Germany’s consumer advice body, says these are clear indicators of phishing and advises recipients to move such messages straight to the spam folder without replying.

ING also tells customers to handle any suspicious message through official channels only. On its website, the bank says phishing emails often contain awkward language, incorrect greetings or obvious formatting errors, and warns that criminals frequently use links to fake pages designed to collect personal data. In a separate warning about smishing, or scam messages sent by text or messaging apps, ING said fraudsters often pose as customs officials or parcel firms to trick people into handing over card details.

Anyone who receives a suspicious email in ING’s name can forward it as an attachment to betrug@ing.de, according to the bank. It also advises customers not to open links or attachments and to check account status only through the official banking app or website. The safest response, consumer groups say, is to ignore the message, verify the account independently and treat any demand for immediate action as a red flag.