Vishing (fake phone calls)

• Criminals can manipulate the phone number that appears on your caller ID so it appears they are calling from a legitimate company. Be suspicious of any call you receive, in which the caller asks for your personal and/or financial information.
• Criminals often add an urgency to the call, for example they may say that your bank account or bank card has been compromised and requires urgent attention.
• Criminals 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.

What you can do

• Never provide your financial and/or personal information on a call you receive.
• A legitimate company will understand if you want to hang up and call them back on the phone number from their website. Hang up, and call the company on the number provided on their website. When entering login details or personal information, be sure the web page you are viewing offers encryption of your data by checking:
  • The web address (URL) has changed from ‘http’ to ‘https’.
  • That a closed padlock icon is present.
  • Your browser address window may be green.
• Never download a programme that allows someone remote access to your computer or device.
• Criminals who call your landline can stay on the line for up to 5 minutes after you hang up – wait for more than five minutes before you make another call, or use your mobile.
• Remember, Bank of Ireland UK will NEVER ask you to transfer money to a ‘safe account’ – if you receive a call like this just hang up.
• Remember that a Bank, Police or any other genuine organisation will never ask for your help in investigating crime. If you are contacted with a similar request, please end the call immediately and call us to inform us of the suspicious call.

Criminals are calling people posing as their bank, they can manipulate the phone number that appears on your caller ID so it appears they are calling from the genuine bank. They are informing customers that their account has been compromised & asking them to transfer funds to a ‘Safe account’. The criminals provide bank account details for an account they control as the ‘safe account’, then quickly transfer the funds from the ‘safe account’ so that the funds cannot be traced or recovered once identified as a fraudulent transaction.

How to protect yourself

Criminals are targeting people by making them think that their account has been compromised, and that you must transfer your funds urgently to protect them. If you get a telephone call as described above take the following steps to protect yourself:

• Don’t assume that the person calling you is genuine, even if the phone number matches the one on the back of your card, or on the banks website.
• Never provide your financial and/or personal information on a call you receive.
• Never send money when you have been asked to transfer funds to a ‘safe account’ – just hang up the call.
• A legitimate company will understand if you want to hang up and call them back on the phone number from their website. Hang up, and call the company on the number provided on their website. When entering login details or personal information, be sure the web page you are viewing offers encryption of your data by checking:
  • The web address (URL) has changed from ‘http’ to ‘https’.
  • That a closed padlock icon is present.
  • Your browser address window may be green.
• If you are concerned that you have divulged personal and/or financial details on a call inform your bank as soon as possible by calling the number on your banks website or the number on the back of your card.
• Remember, Bank of Ireland UK will NEVER ask you to transfer money to a ‘safe account’ – if you receive a call like this just hang up.

To report fraud, you can phone us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the phone numbers below.

Phone from UK

Freephone: 0800 121 7790 (personal customers)

Freephone: 0800 032 1288 (Business On Line and Global Market Customers)

Phone from ROI

Freephone: 1800 946 764

Phone from outside UK and ROI

Not Freephone: 00353 567 757 007

If something looks like fraud on your account, we may phone you or send you a text or email to ask about it.

Report a suspicious email or text

If you think an email or text from Bank of Ireland UK looks suspicious, send it to 365security@boi.com

Lost or stolen card?

If you think your card has been lost or stolen, please phone us right away on these numbers.

We’ll cancel your card as soon as you tell us it’s missing and get a new card sent to the address we have for you in 5 to 7 working days.

See payments you did not make, paid from your account?

If you see payments you did not make, paid from your account, or anything that could be fraud please phone us right away on these numbers.

Shared your online login details?

If you have given your online banking details to someone, please phone us right away on these numbers.