The public is being warned of two scams in current circulation – the warning is issued by FraudSMART – a fraud awareness initiative developed by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland in conjunction with Irish banks
FraudSMART is warning consumers to beware of a text message scam that is appearing to come from the recipient’s mobile phone operator and claiming that their account or contract will be disabled unless they click on a link to accept bogus new terms and conditions.
Customers clicking on the link are asked to supply information and possibly update payment information.
Subsequently, fraudsters may follow up with a phone call impersonating either the mobile company or the bank to deceive them into divulging further information.
This can lead to funds being stolen from a victim’s account or a victim being convinced to make a payment from their account to the fraudster, believing it to be a legitimate transaction.
FraudSMART is advising the public to never engage with suspicious messages and to instead contact the provider directly through their official website or app.
A second scam is where a bank card holder is contacted about suspicious activity on their card and asked to provide information.
Such calls come from a private number. Card holders are advised to deal only with their bank and to notify their bank of such calls.
Anyone who thinks they may have responded to a scam text message are advised to contact their bank immediately using the number on the back of their debit / credit card, or the contact details provided on their bank website and report the incident to the Gardaí.
Advice on fraud prevention is available on the website fraudsmart.ie
