Don’t get caught out.
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) has issued a warning to the public about a fraud ring targeting bank accounts using third parties to enable scams.
Gardaí say the recent fraud has resulted in the theft of “very significant sums of money” from victim bank accounts.
It occurs when the perpetrators send out an SMS or text with a link to what appears to be a genuine bank website, with the bank’s initials included in the link to make it look authentic.
The victim then clicks on the link, enters their personal details, including their phone number, and then logs in to their account.
This is as the fraudsters monitor the log in and recover the personal details, the log in number and the password or code.
The perpetrators then call the victim pretending to be from the fraud department of the bank.
They convince the victim that their account is compromised and that their bank card is required by the bank for “forensic testing” or some other reason.
The fraudsters tell the victim that the bank will send out a third party to collect the card, with the victim advised to put the card in an envelope and write the pin number on the outside before handing it to the third party.
The perpetrators will frequently be on the phone to the victim as the third party arrives to encourage the handover.
“The innocent third party may have also been contacted via an app or other social media to collect the envelope from the victim and to deliver it to an agreed location, usually near a bank,” a Garda spokesperson said.
“They will be met by a person on foot who will take possession of the card.”
The card is then used to withdraw cash and to transfer funds out of the victim’s account.
In response to the scam, the GNECB has issued the following advice:
- Never click on links in an unsolicited text message
- Never give away your pin number or one time codes or online banking details or passwords. Your bank will never ask for these details
- Never act on advice or instruction received during an unsolicited call
- Never download an app on the instruction from an unsolicited call
- Never hand over your bank card to a third party
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