Tips to stay safe from fraud and scams

Stay aware, alert and secure

Anyone, at any time can be the target of financial fraud and scams. Scams have become increasingly sophisticated and everyone is at risk of falling victim to fraud. As we all spend a lot of our time online and lead busy lives, fraudsters have taken advantage of this. A brief lapse in concentration can result in you becoming a victim. For hints and tips on how to Be Informed, Be Alert and Be Secure, visit Fraudsmart.ie

Woman sitting cross legged on a sofa smiling at her phone

Man sitting at a desk looking at his phone with his son leaning over his shoulders

Keep your devices secure

Our phones play a huge part in our daily lives for managing our finances and contain a lot of personal information. Keeping our devices secure is important in preventing fraud.

Use a strong passcode on your device that only you will know.

Never use jailbroken/rooted devices.

Download apps only from trusted sources like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Keep up to-date with anti virus protection software and updates.

Use a firewall to filter internet data, to prevent unauthorised access.

Don't fall into traps

Online scams are when someone is pretending to be someone they are not or offer something that isn't real on the internet. These types of scams can take many different forms.

Your passwords and codes of your Card Reader enable criminals to steal your money. Do not share them with anyone.

Fraudsters and scammers might pretend to be from banks or other legitimate companies. They may ask you to log in to your bank account through a provided link. Don’t click on the link.

Make sure you know who you are communicating with. Avoid using untrusted devices and unsecure wifi connections for banking.

Frauds and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, always check before making any payments.

A man standing next to a desk looking at his phone

Woman looking at computer with screen reflected in her glasses

Updating Your Operating System and downloading Apps

New ways to attack devices are being developed daily. Following the below advice will greatly reduce your risk of falling victim to malware attacks.

It is important that you keep your software up to date, check the request to update the software is coming from the official App store. Software providers issue security patches to protect their products from potential threats. You should ensure your device is running on the latest security patch.

Only use the official app store to download apps to your device. Using untrusted sources could infect your device with malware resulting in loss of personal and financial information.

Install a reputable and trusted anti-virus solution to your device to assist in detecting and blocking malicious malware threats.

Always review app permissions carefully ensuring you don’t grant unnecessary or intrusive permissions.