Bank of Ireland expands series of fraud awareness events

• 13 more events planned to end of May
• Commitment to hold fraud awareness event in every county this year

Bank of Ireland is expanding its series of fraud awareness events, with 13 more branch events planned to the end of May. The events include advice from Bank of Ireland’s fraud team, along with guidance from An Garda Síochána. The Bank has held 40 fraud awareness events in 13 counties so far this year and has committed to holding events in every county by the end of the year.

Over the past year, the vast majority of the population (90%, Red C, Feb ‘24) have experienced fraudulent communications via text, email or on the phone. Research commissioned by Bank of Ireland shows that 77% of consumers want to be able to speak directly with someone at their bank or financial service provider if they fall victim to fraud.

Bank of Ireland is promoting fraud awareness in a number of ways:

• Hosting a series of in-person fraud awareness events in Bank of Ireland branches across the country;
• Partnering with local community groups and businesses to host tailored fraud awareness events;
• Working with Secondary Schools to deliver fraud awareness talks to students;
• 24/7, 365 days of the year phone support for customers impacted by fraud.

Paul O’ Brien, Group Security, Bank of Ireland said: “Our in branch events are free for everybody to attend and have been well attended across the country. The aim is to make everyone more aware of the various types of fraud, and what to do if you become a victim of fraud. Banks have a clear role to play in preventing fraud, a commitment which Bank of Ireland takes very seriously through a range of measures to detect, prevent, and manage fraud. We recently announced an investment of €50 million on customer fraud prevention and protection. Our message to customers is clear – Stop, Think, Check. Treat every unsolicited call, text or email as a potential fraud attempt. If something sounds too good to be true, it is.”

For a full listing of all planned fraud awareness events, and advice and information on how to stay safe from fraud, visit the Security Zone on the Bank of Ireland website.

Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of fraud should contact their bank immediately so that the bank can try to stop the fraud and try to recover funds. Bank of Ireland customers can call the Fraud Team 24/7 on the Freephone line 1800 946 764.

Fraud Awareness Events:

The following consumer fraud awareness events are planned in the branches below – further dates and locations will be announced:

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Bank of Ireland developments to combat fraud:

Bank of Ireland takes a wide range of steps to protect our customers and the Bank from all types of fraud, including:

• Resourcing a dedicated fraud team which works 24/7 to catch fraud attempts and alert and protect customers, and to attempt to retrieve customers’ money when a fraud attempt is successful;
• Investing in a range of fraud services, tech systems, and upgrades to enhance consumer and business protection from fraud;
• Running ongoing fraud-awareness campaigns directed at customers and the wider public, and support the sector in similar activity through our membership of the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI);
• Maintaining very active working relationships with national and international police forces and inter-governmental agencies to track emerging threats and help trace criminals; and,
• Assessing where national policy initiatives may be brought forward to further bolster Ireland’s resilience against fraud, for example the development of a National Financial Crime Strategy and a Shared Fraud Database.

Practical steps that we have taken to protecting customers include:

• Offering the Bank of Ireland TextChecker Service – this allows customers to check directly with Bank of Irel
• New payee limits on daily transfers – when customers add a new payee there is a period of up to 48 hours where the limit that can be transferred is €1,000. This lower temporary limit is in place to protect customers from fraud when new payees are being set up.
• In-app Card Control features
• Two-factor authentication