The report, from Silicon.com, suggests that the loss of the customers’ details involved MasterCard holders, with the Clydesdale among the banks affected in the incident.

The report says that the fraud was detected before criminals could use the stolen details.

A statement issued by MasterCard and cited by Silicon.com said: In order to protect cardholders, MasterCard and its card-issuing banks operate state-of-the-art, multi-level fraud monitoring systems. Together, we look for patterns of activity consistent with fraud. Issuers can then monitor their cardholders’ accounts closely for fraudulent activity and may reissue cards or take other actions if they suspect fraud has occurred.