Gardai warn public as fraud ring steals 'very significant' sums of money from bank accounts

A warning has been issued to the public to be wary of recent bank account fraud by a criminal ring. 

According to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), perpetrators are targeting bank accounts by using third parties such as couriers to convince victims of legitimacy and enable the fraud. 

The warning comes as "very significant" sums of money have been reported as stolen from victim bank accounts. 

The fraud occurs through text messages containing a link to what appears to be a genuine bank website. Once opened, victims will be prompted to enter personal details including phone number to log in to their account. 

Fraudsters monitor the log-in remotely and recover the personal details, log-in number and password. 

They then call the victim and pretend to be from the fraud department of the person's bank and convince the victim that their account is compromised, and that the bank card is required for "forensic testing" or some other reason. 

Victims are then told the bank will send out a third party to collect the card, and the victim is advised to put the card in an envelope and write the pin number on the outside. 

This will then be handed to the third party on arrival, and the fraudster will frequently be on the phone to the victim as the third party arrives to encourage the handover. 

The innocent third party may have also been contacted via an app or other social media to collect the envelope from the victim and to deliver it to an agreed location. 

They will be met by a person on foot who will take possession of the card, which is then used to withdraw cash and to transfer funds out of victims' account. 

GNECB is advising the public to heed the following advice: Never click on links in an unsolicited text message, never give away PIN or one-time codes, never act on advice or instruction received during an unsolicited call, never download an app on the instruction from an unsolicited call, and never hand over a bank card to a third party.