Most High Street banks have been targeted

The bank closed down its site on Monday morning after some of its customers were sent fraudulent e-mails asking them to divulge their account details.

A spokesman for NatWest said none of its account holders lost any money, and the site was shut just as a precaution.

NatWest was hit by a similar e-mail scam back in October.

Vigilance

None of our customers have lost any money, but as before we ask them to remain vigilant and notices have been put up on the website NatWest spokeswoman

Most of the high street banks have now been affected by the scam, known as 'phishing.'

A spokeswoman for NatWest said: "The site was closed from 03.00 to 12.00 on Monday, just as a precaution.

"The (bogus) emails are sent out purely at random, and most certainly do not come from us."

She added: "This is a problem that has affected all the banks, and we continue to work closely with the National Crime Squad and the police.

"None of our customers have lost any money, but as before we ask them to remain vigilant and notices have been put up on the website."