Many banks and financial institutions are reporting “very high levels” of text message fraud in the lead-up to Christmas, according to the Gardaí, reports Breaking News.
In what the gardaí have called a “very convincing” “smishing” scam, scammers are giving consumers phone numbers to call in order to fix a purported problem with their account.
“When an agent answers the phone, they scam customers into divulging their banking and security credentials,” the police officer stated, reports Breaking News.
Bank clients were cautioned to exercise additional caution by Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) officers. The phone numbers given are not real, even if the fake texts “can often appear within a previous, genuine thread,” according to the Gardaí.
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Consumers are encouraged to get in touch with their bank right away if they replied to a text message they think is fraudulent.
There are several smishing scams that pose as government organisations, utility companies, delivery services, banks, and couriers, reports Breaking News.
People should always be cautious of messages from unknown senders and strange demands, which might even show up in the thread of earlier legitimate communications, according to a Garda Síochána.
In order to prevent smishing, the force has developed recommendations for consumers. It issued a stern warning not to click on links in texts, call a number in texts, or divulge personal information including bank account information, passwords, PINs, one-time codes, PPS numbers, or Eircodes, reports Breaking News.
The caller’s name or phone number should always be used by customers to identify them. They should end the call and use the number on their account to call their bank or service provider if they have any issues.
It was also recommended by a Garda Síochána to avoid downloading any apps that allow scammers to take control of their smartphone.
They advised reporting any suspected fraud instances to the gardaí directly, reports Breaking News.
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