A WARNING HAS been issued to the public of a new text and phone scam that has seen victims convinced that their bank account has been hacked and tricking them into transferring their money to a “safe account” to protect it.

The scam is a new “direct debit” scam in which victims receive a text message impersonating their bank, alerting them to a “new” direct debit.

Fraud awareness initiative FraudSMART, led by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) have today issued a warning to consumers asking them to be “extra vigilant” of unsolicited text messages and phone calls. 

The initiative warned that banks will never ask customers to transfer funds to keep their account safe.

Head of Financial Crime at BPFI, Niamh Davenport, said that this is a “very recent” scam detected by FraudSMART members.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing cases begin to rise, with customers, on average, being conned out of between €6-€8k, so we are calling on the public to be on alert and know how to protect themselves,” she said.

“The scam is particularly deceptive and unfolds through a number of convincing text messages and phone calls. Victims initially receive a text message impersonating their bank, falsely alerting them to a ‘new’ direct debit that has been set up on their bank account.”

The text message advises that if they didn’t set up this direct debit, they should call the phone number in the text message immediately.

“This mimics the style of legitimate messages we might expect from banks or service providers when changes are made to our accounts, making it seem more convincing. However, banks will never include phone numbers for customers to ring within a text message,” she added.

If the customer calls the number in the text message they end up speaking directly to the fraudster.

Davenport continued: “If the victim calls the number in the text message they are told that they are speaking to the bank’s fraud department but are in fact speaking directly to the fraudster. They are advised that their account is at risk and, in order to protect their money, they have to transfer their funds and close their account.

“They are asked to open their banking app or desktop account while on the call, set up a new payee or ‘safe account’ using an IBAN provided by the fraudster and transfer their money into this new account, which the fraudster in fact controls.

“This is often followed by a text message ‘confirming’ that the new IBAN will be processed in 24 hours, along with details of the amount transferred and a fake ‘lodgement reference’, in order to further persuade the victim that it’s legitimate and also delay detection.”

Davenport said that those conducting the fraud can be “very skilled” at convincing people and gaining the trust of consumers, and it is possible for many people to be caught out if not on alert.

“The most important thing to remember is to be very cautious of unexpected texts or phone calls and if in any doubt, ignore the text message or hang up the call, and phone your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card,” she said.

FraudSMART has issued advice to consumers to protect themselves from phone and text scams:

• Do not reply to unsolicited text messages or provide personal or financial information.
• Do not use phone numbers provided within the text of a text message. Contact your bank using the number on the back of your debit / credit card.
• Do not click on a link from unsolicited text messages – remember your bank will never send you a link in a text message.
• If someone is pressurising you on the phone to take urgent action, hang up and call the number on the bank of your debit / credit card.
• Never give away personal information, bank card payment details, bank account details or security details such as your PIN or online password to anyone.

Your bank will never ask you to transfer money from your account to a “safe account” or any other kind of account.

If you think you have responded to a scam text message or phone call, contact your bank and the gardaí immediately. 

More information, alerts and tips can be found on FraudSMART’s website.