Bank of Ireland has issued a warning to businesses about a recent increase in ‘live chat’ scams. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
Fraudsters are calling customers pretending to be from Bank of Ireland and claiming that the business’s account has been compromised. They then direct people to a live chat service or ask them to download software to their computers as well as seeking card details, online banking details and activation codes.
The fraudster then asks the customer to go to another website address, saying that this is “for a live chat service” or “to verify the customer’s PC”. In reality, the second website allows the fraudster remote access to the customer’s PC.The fraudster can now see the customer’s screen and access all their files and programmes.