Beware: email scams warning

Criminals are sending scam emails in an attempt to trick you into transferring money to them.

Examples of the types of emails include:

• Emails claiming to be from your supplier or contractor advising that they have changed their bank account number. These emails will request that all current and future payments should be made to a new account, which actually belongs to the criminal.

• Emails that appear to come from a Manager / Director / Senior Staff Member within your company. The email will request that the recipient makes a payment to an account number given in the email and may imply some urgency, which is not the case. This account number actually belongs to the criminal.

• Emails received in to HR or Accounts team requesting a change of account number for a staff member’s salary

You should not accept any financial instructions via email. You should always Verify Account Numbers on a known contact number with your Supplier / Manager / Director / Senior Member / Staff Member.

If you make and authorise a payment to one of these fraudulent accounts, it is highly unlikely that your bank will be able to get your money back for you.

Ensure that all your on-line banking users are aware of these threats and that they should report any suspicious activity immediately.

For more information on how to stay safe, visit www.fraudsmart.ie.