Security Centre

At EBS we take security seriously. We aim to protect you against the threats associated with internet fraud. Here, you will find details of specific current security threats to our online banking customers and alerts that you should be aware of.

While many types of scams share common features, investment scams are especially attractive to potential victims as they offer high returns on your money. These false promises of easy-to-win, risk-free returns gain the victim’s trust and can be extremely tempting.

Always be cautious when taking out an investment, scammers are very good at presenting themselves as knowledgeable and trustworthy, with professional-looking websites and carefully crafted arguments. Even expert investors may fall for their skilful schemes.

Some other common tricks include:

• Sense of urgency with limited windows to transfer the money. In reality, you should take as much time as you need before committing your hard-earned money to any investment.
• A skilful mix between insult and flattery, scammers may say ‘only fools, cowards or ignorant people would let the opportunity pass’.
• Consistent use of jargon. Scammers will use jargon to make you think they are experts and know what they are talking about. However, if they are not able to clearly explain the key features and risks of the investment so that you understand it, it is a red flag.
• The promise of very high returns with little or no risk.
• Building trust. Scammers may provide initial investment returns as promised. However, when after a couple of successful “trial investments” you give away more money, the scam is revealed.
• Requests for secrecy. Scammers often ask you not to tell friends and family about your investment

EBS urges people to exercise caution as a number of investment scams are in circulation. Most of these scams bear similar hallmarks with minor variations. In the current scams criminals are using a fake EBS email address with a real EBS staff name e.g. johndoe@ebsprivatewealth.ie or johndoe@ebsam.ie. They are also offering a fake EBS ‘e-saver’ deposit / investment product to attract attention. A person is contacted by a bad actor after filling out a contact form (or clicking on a link) on a fake website purporting to offer deposit / investment products from legitimate, well-known names in financial services. The scammers often reference non-existing partnerships between EBS and other financial services groups and share sophisticated brochures and materials that appear legitimate. After the person fills out all the relevant ‘documents’, they are asked to transfer their money to an account which they later realise does not belong to the financial services firm and their money has been stolen. This often happens under a degree of time pressure, for example the bad actor will send chaser calls / text messages “to get the best rate of return” or “offer is closing this week”. Some of these scams also attempt to defraud customers seeking to invest in crypto currencies.

EBS urges people to STOP AND THINK:

• Ensure you verify the contact details by checking the official company’s website.
• Do not call the number provided on the email. Search and confirm the phone number using the bank’s website.
• You can also cross reference email addresses to ensure they are aligned with the format of the firms existing email addresses as shown on their website.
• Ensure any website you use is secure and genuine by checking for the padlock symbol to the left of the web address and if it’s not there, beware.
• Check the advisor out, look them up to see if their business exists by ensuring their office location and telephone number are genuine.
• Call your bank before you make the payment and ask them to check the transaction and beneficiary account. This one call could save your money from being stolen by fraudsters.
• Check the Central Bank of Ireland’s consumer hub and its list of unauthorised firms for guidance on how to protect yourself from financial scams. Simply enter ‘search for unauthorised firms’ on centralbank.ie.
• Always seek investment advice from a regulated financial advisor even when recommendations are made by people you trust, such as family or friends.

EBS are not offering any e-saver products, all EBS deposit/investment products are sold solely through engagement with our Office Network and never by email or via links on other websites.

Vishing is when an individual calls you claiming to be from the Bank, or a company providing a service and request financial and/or personal and security information.
 
The term is a combination of ‘voice’ and phishing. It is typically used to steal credit or debit card numbers or other information used in identity theft schemes from individuals.
 
DON’T disclose the full five digits of your Personal Access Code (PAC).
 
The phone number displayed on your handset may appear to be a genuine Bank phone number but these can be mimicked by criminals.
 
If you suspect any fraudulent activity from any call you receive, you should ask the caller to confirm their authenticity and if still in doubt of the caller’s authenticity, end the call . If you feel your bank details have been compromised, contact our Support team on 0818 654 322 or Alert@mail.ebs.ie. Lines are open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.