Scammers targeting Irish eFlow customers with fraudulent texts
Smishing attacks |
Don’t click links and don’t give any personal details.
Scammer (Getty)
eflow toll sign
Today at 20:20
Fraudsters are targeting the public with ‘smishing’ text messages claiming to be from eFlow in order to steal people’s financial information.
These smishing attempts typically send an urgent message asking recipients to click on a link, which can lead to the extraction of personal financial material and also theft.
“Smishing attacks tend to come in waves, and the latest theme is motorway fraud, where fraudsters are sending fake texts purportedly from operators such as eFlow,” said Bank of Ireland Head of Fraud Nicola Sadlier.
Eflow have issued a number of instructions for the public to adhere to, including the immediate deletion of any text messages purporting to come from them, as they do not send links in text messages.
eflow toll sign
“Text messages should be treated with extreme caution — the general rule is never trust, always verify,” Ms Sadlier added.
Eflow also stated that their systems have not been compromised or subjected to any data breach. Unfortunately, these scam messages can be received by anyone.
Scammers have even created professional-looking fake websites that imitate eFlow’s website.
‘If you received a text claiming to be from eFlow with a link, do not click it, report to [email protected] and delete the message,’ the company stated.
Anyone concerned about the provenance of a suspicious text should always verify the identity of the sender by calling the company directly using their legitimate phone number, which should be sourced independently from text messages.
eFlow itself says that it, like banks, delivery companies, utility providers, Government agencies, and gardaí, will never send a text linking to a website to confirm online banking or payment details.
The M50 Motorway operator also says that anyone who does receive such a text should ignore it and never open any link contained within.