An Garda Síochána in conjunction with Bank of Ireland have issued an alert to the general public.
They wish to warn people about a new scam called ‘smishing’.
The new fraudulent scheme is whereby people are contacted by text message, which appears to have come from their bank, leading them to believe their bank card has been compromised.
GNECB
Gardaí have received a number of reports in relation to this scam and the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) conducted searches at an address in Dublin in relation to this matter.
A number of bank cards were recovered during the course of these searches and returned to their owners. A male youth was arrested and is currently detained in Tallaght Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
GNECB are advising the public as follows:
- Never click a link in an unsolicited text;
- Never give away personal data like your PIN, card numbers and passwords;
- A financial institution would never request a customer to return a card to the bank in such circumstances.
An Garda Síochána are also urging all people not to respond to such text messages, but instead to take a screenshot of the message, delete it and report to your local Garda station.
Image source: An Garda Síochana Facebook
