Fraudsters are targeting Bank of Ireland business customers with scam phone calls. The caller ID has been manipulated to appear to be coming from a secure Bank of Ireland phone number. The fraudster informs the customer that their business account has been compromised with an attempted payment that flagged as potential fraud. The fraudster asks the customer to log onto their account to check for any unauthorised payments, before directing the customer to a fake Bank of Ireland website and live chat. The customer is informed that Bank of Ireland will run a diagnostic to identify the breach (potential malware). The customer is asked to provide the caller with a code to their software / screen sharing app (such as Anydesk) – this provides the caller with access to the customers computer. The fraudster informs the customer the diagnostic will take up to 15 minutes, they lock the screens from the customer’s view, take over the computer and transfer money from the customer’s account.
Protect yourself
Remember that Bank of Ireland UK will NEVER:
- Ask you to log onto a Bank of Ireland webchat.
- Run a diagnostic on your computer.
- Ask you to use a software / screen sharing app (such as Anydesk).
- Ask for your username, passcodes or passwords.
- Ask you to transfer money to a ‘safe account’.
- If you receive a call reporting to be from Bank of Ireland UK asking for any of the above hang up, wait until the line is clear and call us on the number provided on our website.
We encourage you to #Take Five by following the below steps:
- Never disclose security details, such as your PIN or full banking password
- Don’t assume an email or phone call is authentic
- Don’t be rushed – a genuine organisation won’t mind waiting
- Listen to your instincts – you know if something doesn’t feel right
- Stay in control – don’t panic or make a decision you’ll regret.