Bank of Ireland is launching a region-wide series of free fraud awareness events
Bank of Ireland is launching a region-wide series of free fraud awareness events for consumers as part of its commitment to safeguarding the financial wellbeing of its customers.
Six events have been confirmed to date in Bangor, Newry, Omagh, Coleraine, Magherafelt and Lurgan, with future events planned, ensuring customers and local consumers in every county have an opportunity to attend an event.
The new series of events are one element of the Bank’s comprehensive consumer fraud awareness programme and are designed to educate and inform consumers about fraud and how they can protect their finances and personal information from fraudsters. The events are free to attend and open to customers and local consumers to attend.
Across Bank of Ireland there are over 200 colleagues working solely on fraud prevention, protection and the detection of financial crime. The Bank also provides 24/7 phone access where customers who are worried about, or who have been impacted by, fraud or financial crime can speak directly to a Bank of Ireland Fraud team member.
In addition to providing immediate support to consumers, Bank of Ireland has partnered with Victim Support NI, recognising that the harm caused by fraudsters often goes beyond the immediate financial impacts.
Launching the series of events, Gail Goldie, CEO, Bank of Ireland UK said: “Financial crime can take on many different forms, from fraudulent texts, emails and calls through to romance, impersonation and purchase based scams – all with the common goal of taking consumers money.
“In financial services, we are on the front line in defending customers, and wider society, from fraudulent attempts and at Bank of Ireland, we invest significantly in our fraud and financial crime operations to equip our people with the resources and support to protect customers, ensuring that when customers are targeted by a fraudster they know they can talk to us, and not a bot, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.
“Through this series of fraud awareness events we want to make consumers more aware of the various types of fraud, what to do if they are ever a victim of fraud, and how we are investing in fraud detection and prevention to protect them from financial criminals.
“Our message to all consumers is clear – Stop, Think, Check. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. Be suspicious and keep your guard up.”
If people suspect they have been a victim of fraud or financial crime they should contact their bank immediately so that the bank can take action to stop a fraud in progress and try to recover funds. Bank of Ireland customers can call our Fraud Team 24/7, on the Freephone line 0800 121 7790.
For advice and information on how to stay safe from fraud, visit the Security and Fraud page on the Bank of Ireland UK website.