WARNING! New text message and phone scams in circulation claiming to be from your bank

FraudSMART is advising consumers to be on alert for a new type of text message and phone scam currently in circulation claiming to be from your bank.

These are very convincing scams so please ensure you read the information below in order to protect your personal information and bank account.

How does the scam happen?

• You may receive a text message stating that you should expect a call from a staff member of your bank using a landline or private ID
• Unfortunately, scammers have tools that can make it look like the message appears within an existing, genuine text thread that you may have from your bank in the past
• The text message and/or phone call may claim to be from the security or card services department of your bank.
• If you accept the call, the fraudster will try to convince you to part with personal, financial and/or security information.
• In some cases you may receive an authorisation code and be asked to input it on screen to 'secure your account', 'cancel a fraudulent payment' or 'process a refund' - however this actually gives the fraudster access to your account.
• The fraudster may imply that if you don’t act immediately, it will have negative consequences, for example, that money will be lost from your account.
• The fraudster may even advise you to delete your mobile banking app or ask you not to log into your bank accounts for a period of time. In order to make you believe this instruction is genuine you may receive multiple calls advising there is a delay in receiving your 'new' online banking log in details to keep you away from your account. While you are waiting to hear back from the caller, who you believe to be your bank, the fraudsters may be moving money out of your account.

Warning signs:

• A bank will never text/email/phone you asking for personal information.
• A bank will never send you a link on a text message.
• A bank will not ask you to delete your banking app or to avoid logging into banking online.

What should you do if you receive a suspicious text message or phonecall?

• Be very cautious of any unexpected texts or phone calls and if in any doubt,  ignore the text message or hang up on the call, and phone your bank immediately.
• Do not use the phone numbers provided within the text of a text message. Contact your bank using the number on the back of your debit / credit card.
• Do not reply to unsolicited text messages or provide personal or financial information. Do not click on a link or attachment from unsolicited emails or text messages.
• If someone is pressuring you on the phone to take urgent action, hang up and call the number on the back of your debit / credit card.
• Never give away personal information, bank card payment details, bank account details or security details such as your PIN or online password to anyone.
• Block the sender of a suspicious email or text message and delete the message

What can you do if you think you have been scammed?

Don't be afraid to ask for help if something goes wrong. If you think you have responded to a scam text message, contact your bank immediately using the number on the back of your debit/credit card, or the contact details provided on your bank website and report the incident to the Gardaí.

Help keep your family and friends safe

Anyone can be a target of this kind of scam and new types of scams and frauds are continually emerging that are increasingly more complex and convincing. Share this alert with your family and friends so that they too can stay safe.

Be Informed, Be Alert, Be Secure – Be FraudSMART.