An e-mail hoax targeting Bank of Butterfield customers was shut down yesterday ? but not before the scam artists targeted some clients in a bid to get entry to their web-based accounts.

In a press statement issued yesterday afternoon, the bank alerted the public to what had happened and asked users of 'Butterfield Direct' to be vigilant.

The statement read: "Some Internet users may have received an e-mail message claiming to be from the Bank of Butterfield and asking customers to log on to a fraudulent web site and enter their security details. The message is not genuine, and customers should not access any links contained within it or divulge any confidential details," the bank advised.

Chief information officer Will Aston confirmed the bank had had the fraudulent web site closed down and said the site was now under investigation. As a precaution, Mr. Aston also said the bank had shut down its banking platform for a short period of time but that it was back online by yesterday afternoon.

Customers were also asked to contact the bank should they receive any suspicious e-mails claiming to be from from the bank.

The Bank of Butterfield has been running the web-based banking platform since 2001, and has a third party security firm routinely try and break into the system in order to ensure any security flaws are detected and fixed.

The bank told yesterday that only a "handful" of its customers had received the fraudulent request for information. They discovered the scam after a concerned customer forwarded the e-mail they had received yesterday morning.

The bank said it took "immediate action" when it learned what had happened.