The ongoing issue of people in Ireland being caught out by fraudsters over the phone is reaching new heights throughout the pandemic.
A number of weeks ago, calls began from 085 and 087 numbers with a recording playing to those who answered claiming to be from the Department of Social Protection.
Then, more calls began coming through from 086 and 083 numbers as well, asking people to pay fines related to arrest warrants.
The latest scam to be reported are those coming through by text, claiming to have taken temporary control of your Bank of Ireland (BOI) mobile banking login, and asking you to follow a bogus link where you fill in personal information.
With the major influx of fraudulent behaviour, BOI has set out advice for those who are caught out by scams over text (smishing), and remind customers that they should never give their online banking details or card details over the internet or phone.
According to the Irish bank, these fake texts can be dropped into a thread of genuine BOI text messages, which make them look legitimate.
Their advice reads: “We will never send you a text with a link to a site that asks you for your full 365Online PIN or one-time passcodes.”
Irish mobile number holders should look out for the following;
- Text messages claiming to be from your bank, asking you to confirm financial or personal information.
- Often they claim that urgent action is needed or there will be negative consequences.
- They may ask you to click on a link directing you to a website or to provide a number to call in order to “verify” or “update” your personal current account.
- Fake links lead to fake websites where you may be asked to provide personal information. The fraudster then uses that information to transfer money from your account.
Meanwhile, if you have received a suspicious text claiming to be from Bank of Ireland, you should;
- Not respond unless you are entirely satisfied that the text is genuine. If you are not sure, BOI can check it if you send it to 365security@boi.com
- Remember to include the phone number that the text was sent from, or forward a screenshot of the text if possible
- Do not use a phone number provided in the text which could be fake
- Do not click on any links
- If you have clicked on a suspicious link, call BOI freephone numbers as soon as possible
- Don’t click on or open suspicious links and attachments
- Don’t share your banking details, including your full online banking PIN, or other personal information if requested via text message.
