What is the purpose of your payment?

Who has requested you to transfer money?

Fraudsters may contact you pretending to be from the Bank, An Garda Síochána or other organisations you trust and ask you to transfer money to another account.

Remember: A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue asking you to move your money to keep it safe. 

If this sounds familiar, don't make the payment and end contact with the individual immediately.

Before you make the payment, consider whether this opportunity is genuine. 

Scammers will do their homework and make it their business to know as much about you as possible, this doesn't mean the offer is genuine. 

Always seek independent advice before you commit to an investment. You can get more guidance on investment scams and check if an organisation is authorised on the Central Bank of Ireland website. If they're not authorised, it could be a scam.

When buying goods or services from someone you don’t know consider using your debit card or credit card, or a payment method which offers additional protection against scams.  Only pay for goods and services via bank transfer if you know the person you are paying or are satisfied the business is genuine.

Remember that if an offer seems too good to be true, it often is.

Always double check the bank details of the person by contacting them on a number you can trust. 

Fraudsters often intercept emails and invoices and change payment details. If you send money to a different account than the one you intended it can be very difficult for us to get this back and you may lose your money. 

Always ask yourself how well you truly know the person and how reliable they are.

Dating and romance scams can have a financial and emotional effect on victims. The scammer will build a relationship with you before asking you to transfer money due to a personal emergency or to cover travel expenses. Remember that you should never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.

Fraudsters may contact you and ask you to change details of a saved payee.

Only change the details if you know the person or business and they have proof that their bank details have recently changed. A simple phonecall to the person on a number you trust could protect you from losing your money.

Never be pressurised into transferring money. If you're unsure, we suggest you take a day or two to think about what's being asked and talk it through with someone you can really trust. 

Please note: This message will be shown on many of our payment features to help customers stay safe and secure and doesn't mean you’re specifically at risk. To protect yourself it’s really important you consider the above guidance before you make any payments.

If you think you're the victim of a scam, or want more information on how to stay safe and secure, visit our Security Centre.