The South African Banking Risk Information Centre is warning of an increase in the number of "phishing" schemes doing the rounds.

On Tuesday Sabric said the number of phishing websites that have been detected and shut down by local banks have more than trebled in the last four months.

Con artists use emails and fake websites to fraudulently obtain information from internet banking users.

Sabric’s CEO Kalyani Pillay said, “We urging bank clients to be extra vigilant and to not give their bank details out to anybody unless they are absolutely certain they are talking to their banks.”