Bank of Ireland Reports «Significant Spike» in Impersonation Scams Last Month

Bank of Ireland reported a «significant spike» in scam impersonation messages last month, with an increase in fraudulent text reports in recent weeks. The bank urges customers to be vigilant against these scams.

These texts often reference suspicious or declined transactions, pressuring customers to call a provided number. Upon calling, victims are connected to fraudsters posing as bank fraud team members who attempt to convince them to make payments or disclose banking details. Fraudsters may also claim money is at risk and must be moved to a «safe account» they control. Some scam texts can even appear under trusted contact names on a customer’s phone.

Nicola Sadlier, Bank of Ireland’s head of fraud, emphasized that these scams are carefully designed and can target anyone, creating urgency and convincing conversations. She advises a zero-trust approach: question unexpected contact, never rely on numbers or links in messages, and always call the bank directly using a trusted number from its official website or card.

Customers can email a screenshot of suspicious texts to 365Security@boi.com and delete the message. They can also use the TextChecker service by sending the scam message text with the word CHECK to 50365. Bank of Ireland customers who believe they have shared banking information should immediately call the bank’s 24/7 freephone line.