Phishing & Smishing, in the case of banking, is the fraudulent practice of sending, respectively, emails and text messages, purporting to come from reputable financial institutions, in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as: User ID; Passwords; Bank Account Details and Credit Card Numbers.
You can view Bank of Irelands ‘365 online’ by visiting HERE – Note: the bank clearly warns you regarding same ‘Phishing’ & ‘Smishing’ scams when entering personal details on this site.
Text messages (Smishing) are currently being sent out by contemptible criminals, using the telephone number 089 1110111 here in the Tipperary area, and possibly elsewhere, over the past week. Same contemptible individuals are clearly seeking to take advantage of those wishing to remain in isolation during this virus pandemic.
The text messages of which we are aware that have been received, read:-
(1) [BOI]: Your 365 online has been blocked. All services have been withdrawn. Go to www.boionlinenewssecure.com to reactivate now.
OR
(2) [BOI]: We are unable to process your last payment. All services have been withdrawn. Go to www.boionlinenewssecure.com to reactivate now.
Let us remind you again: Banks; Credit Card Companies and Government Departments will NEVER contact people, asking them to enter personal information on line.
Please do take the time to warn elderly parents; friends and those less IT literate.
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