“Gardaí issue warning over bank card ‘smishing’ scam”.
Gardaí have issued a warning to Bank of Ireland customers of a ‘smishing’ scam.
Text messages are being sent to customers informing them their bank card has been skimmed and has been deactivated by the bank. The text looks like it’s been sent from the bank but has nothing to do with Bank of Ireland.
The customer is asked to click on a link to order a new card which goes to a “fake” Bank of Ireland website. The site asks the customer to submit their card number, PIN and phone number, cut their card and return it by post. Once the requested details are inserted, the fraudster can access the customer’s account, make withdrawals and online purchases.
The Gardai state that you should never click on an unsolicited text or give away personal data such as PIN, card Number or Password. Also, financial institutions will never request a customer to return a card to the bank in such a manner. They say that if anyone does encounter these text messages, they should take a screenshot, delete it and report the matter to the Gardaí.
