Don’t get caught out…
Customers of Irish banks are being urged to be cautious over a new scam called “number spoofing.”
Similar to other scams, the aim is to convince people that they’re receiving a call from their bank.
But the difference with this scam and others, is that the scammers are using a device which alters the number they call from, so that it looks like you’re receiving a call from the bank.
Customers who believe the scam are then asked to transfer their money to a secure account.
As always, banks are reminding customers that they won’t ask for PIN, banking passwords, or to transfer or withdraw money over the phone so be wary immediately if someone claiming to be from the bank seeks this information.
To assist in identifying such calls, AIB urged customers to be aware that:
- AIB will never call you to ask for a refund of credit in this manner.
- AIB will not request for a transfer to any third party accounts.
Bank of Ireland issued the following advice for dealing with potential scam phone calls:
- Criminals who have called your landline can stay on the line for up to 5 minutes, even after you have hung up. Wait at least 10 minutes after hanging up. Then, to ensure that the fraudsters has disconnected, call someone you know before using the phone again or use a different line to report the incident to the Bank.
- Sometimes fraudsters make phone calls, claiming to be from a reputable IT organisation, to offer assistance. Never allow a cold caller to take remote access of your computer.
Bank of Ireland also issued the following advice to customers when using online banking:
- We will never ask you to enter your full Personal Identification Numner (PIN) or password when logging into online banking
- We will never ask you for more information such as your account number, card number or address when logging into online banking (you will need to provide these details only if you are registering or re-registering for online banking)
- We never ask you to use your Card Reader when you login to online banking
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