Types of fraud to be aware of

There a number of scams in operation with where fraudsters target individuals via websites, social media, email, phone or text.

Impersonation fraud

Fraudsters can impersonate someone you know or a high-profile company through unauthorised use of its branding. They try to gain your trust and then trick you into sending them money or buying what is purported to be a real product or service but is fake. Investment products and services are often used for impersonation fraud through fake websites and social media posts.

Email fraud

Phishing

Phishing is a type of email fraud where you might receive an "official looking" email asking you to return sensitive information by email, or ask you to click on a link to visit a page where you will be asked for personal information.

These scams can be very sophisticated and often the emails are indistinguishable from genuine emails. Some things to look out for include:

Any part of an email can be faked, including the ‘From’ address, text, any links and any attachments.
Phishing emails usually have a “call-to-action”, i.e. an urgent request requiring to take immediate action.
Emails offering financial products with high rewards which seem too good to be true.
The language used in phishing emails can often be unprofessional.
The phisher almost always wants your username and login details, or financial account details.
Some phishing emails attempt to install viruses on your device. If you see a request to install software, ignore it.

Telephone frauds

Another common way for fraudsters to target potential victims is by phone or text pretending to be from a reputable organisation or acting on behalf of an organisation. There are a number of telephone-based scams in operation.

Smishing

This Smishing, a combination of the words SMS and phishing, is a scam where fraudsters use text messages to trick you into opening a malicious attachment or a link, which when clicked on directs you to a fraudulent login screen to enter your account details. It can also download malicious software (mobile malware) on to your phone. The fraudster then uses the information you have entered to access your account and carry out unauthorised transactions.

Vishing

Vishing, a combination of the words voice and phishing, is a scam where fraudsters use text messages to trick you into opening a malicious attachment or a link, which when clicked on directs you to a fraudulent login screen to enter your account details. It can also download malicious software (mobile malware) on to your phone. The fraudster then uses the information you have entered to access your account and carry out unauthorised transactions.

Davy staff will never ask you for your username or password over the phone, and if you receive such a request please notify Davy at +353-1-679-7788

We only use @davy.ie email addresses to engage with you (or @davyuk.com for Davy UK).

If you are ever in doubt about whether a communication from Davy is genuine please contact us on +353-1-679-7788.

Email us at dublin@davy.ie

Go to https://davy.ie/security-centre