Irish Police warns about the latest internet fraud

The local Irish police (Gardai) is persuading people not to fall prey to the recent online banking scam. It is reported that the fraudsters were using Facebook ads to manipulate the customers of a bank. People should avoid clicking adverts offering rewards for taking a tour of their system. Clicking the link redirects users to a false page that looks exactly similar to the bank’s official webpage. The customers’ accounts are emptied within minutes if they provide their account details on the fake website, as warned by the Gardai.

Dublin Live discussed this on Twitter:

Public urged not to fall victim to new banking scam targeting social media usershttps://t.co/wWKVkcr79k

— DublinLive (@DublinLive) February 23, 2020

As explained by the Gardai, the spoofing process begins when the fraudsters display an internet banking advertisement and urge the users to take a tour of their website for a small reward (€15 or €30). The customer clicks the link which redirects him to a fake ‘log in’ webpage. 

The customer then enters his/her login details and accidentally passes into the hands of the scammer. The account is then exploited by the hacker and a new beneficiary of the account is set up. An automated text or SMS is sent to the customer from the bank to confirm the addition of the new beneficiary. The customer unknowingly enters the code into the ‘fake website’ which is captured by the spammers or transmitted through malware on a computer, laptop or mobile device. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan of the GNECB has urged the people to “stop and think” before going for anything attractive, especially on the internet. He further stated, “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.”