Gardaí warn public of 'banking' scam which can empty accounts in minutes

Gardaí have issued a warning about a new social media-led banking scam which can empty customer accounts in minutes.

According to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), the new fraud is targeting customers of a banking institution through advertisements on Facebook with the aim of deceiving customers to part with their funds or reveal details of the bank accounts or credit cards.

The advertisement refers to internet banking and invites the customer to take a tour of the system for a small reward of €15 or €30.

The customer clicks on the link, to a 'Fake' login page. The customer enters their login details which allow those behind the scam to access those details.

The criminals then take control of the account and set up a new ‘Beneficiary’ on the account, to whom money can be transferred.

The customers will receive an automated text or SMS from the bank, with a code to authorise the addition of the ‘Beneficiary’ to the account. The customer then enters that code into the ‘Fake’ account which is captured by the fraudsters or intercepted via malware on a computer, laptop or mobile phone.

According to gardaí, the sophistication of the scam leads to the customer's bank account being "emptied within minutes".

Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Lordan of the GNECB warned the public to stop and think before acting on any social media adverts that encourage revealing personal banking details:

"Be very wary of advertisements offering a ‘reward’ that leads you to a situation where you have to reveal your financial details, even if it appears to be genuine. Do not click on links in the advertisement. Check with the bank or other organisation apparently offering the ‘reward’ by searching for that bank or organisation online and independently of the link in the advertisement."

Det Chief Supt Lordan said that if the banking institution's website is not clearly offering a ‘reward’, then the social media advert is a fraud.

"Never share banking details, pin numbers or passwords with unknown persons online, by text, SMS, over the phone or any other way. Trust your instincts — if it sounds like it is too good to be true, it is probably not true. Never download or install a file from an unknown or suspicious source. If in doubt, don't do it," he said.

The latest warning from the GNECB comes just a week after it warned the public to be vigilant of romance scams after one woman gave almost €50,000 to a fraudster over a 13-month period. The woman was given expensive gifts before later being asked to invest in the fraudster's fake business.

In another case, a fraudster took €19,000 from a victim. The scam took place over a five-month period after connecting through a dating website.

Gardaí said that the victims of the scam believe they have met a genuine love interest online and are unaware they are being deceived. The fraudster spends months building a relationship before eventually asking for slowly increasing amounts of money.