RTE host Sarah McInerney has revealed how she fell victim to a text scam that ended in thieves breaking into her bank account.
The Drivetime presenter received a dodgy text about her eFlow toll account on Wednesday night. Sarah ended up absentmindedly clicking the link in the text and sharing her bank details but didn't realise her mistake until after she clicked send.
While Sarah scrambled to call her bank, the fraudsters had already accessed her bank account, the Irish Mirror reported. She said: "Last night I clicked on a link and it made me realise I think there's a weakness in the system.
Read more: Charlie Bird hospitalised after suffering another fall this week
Read more: Elaine Crowley pays emotional tribute to Ryan Tubridy ahead of final Late Late Show
"I clicked on a link and I entered way too many details because I was eating my dinner and watching a programme and also scrolling on my phone at the same time - the opposite of mindfulness. I clicked on this link for eFlow, saying I hadn't filled out the terms and conditions to allow my account to continue, and I sort of absent-mindedly was putting in information and then realised I had put in the registration for my bank and the personal access code."
She said on RTE's Drivetime yesterday: "And when I clicked send on the personal access code I realised, 'what am I doing?' and I tried to close the window but it was too late."
Sarah tried to call her bank but it was closed as it was after 5pm. She tried to look up any information on what to do in this situation online but found nothing.
She eventually managed to get a hold of someone in the credit card fraud department and they advised her to input her access codes incorrectly six different times in order to lock her online banking account. However, in the 15 minutes before she closed her online bank account down the scammer had added a mobile number and attempted to make a few transactions.
Sarah spoke to Niamh Davenport, Head of Financial Crime with the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland, on tips on how to protect yourself from the same scam.
Ms Davenport said: "The fraudsters are really quick and they are waiting for somebody to respond with their information and they are going to act on it straight away. With any type of scam, one of the key things I'd always say is time is of the essence and to report it to your bank as quickly as possible.
"The banks do have that [credit card fraud] number 24/7 and you can use that number if you feel you've handed over your bank account details. The other way is you can freeze your card on your mobile banking app."
Read next:
Water supply being restored to tens of thousands of Dublin homes after burst water main
The Script vow to 'celebrate the life' of guitarist Mark Sheehan at upcoming gigs
Spain holiday warning for Irish tourists as country battered by thunderstorms and intense flooding
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
