Number Spoofing Phone Calls

Posted on: 28 Sep 2022

The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has been made aware that a member of the public received an unsolicited phone call from a person purporting to be an ILCU representative, suggesting that the person is about to be subject to fraud and have a sum of money taken from his debit card. The caller indicates that they will send through a six-digit code which the person should use to stop this payment being made.

The member of the public did not engage with the caller and sensibly sought to validate that the caller was a genuine representative of the organisation they claimed to represent, in this instance by calling the number which turned out to be the ILCU phone number.

This is known as Number Spoofing, where the fraudster makes contact with you by phone, hiding the number they are really calling from and making it look like they are calling from the phone number of a genuine company/organisation. The fraudster then tries to trick the person into divulging personal, financial or security information or into making a financial transfer to them.

If anyone receives a phone call in this regard, they should report the call immediately to An Garda Siochana or to the PSNI.

General Information on Avoiding Scams

The general information below may be useful guidance for you in avoiding scams and unauthorised activity.

·        If somebody contacts you out of the blue offering you money or an easy way to make money, it is probably too good to be true. 

·        Don’t assume an email, call or text is genuine because someone has basic information like your name or address. Fraudsters may use publicly available information to lure you in. 

·        Fraudsters are very good at making e-mails look genuine, and have been known to set up elaborate and convincing dummy websites. 

·        You should not provide personal information about yourself or agree to send money until you are satisfied that the firm you are dealing with is authorised. You can check the Central Bank Registers to check if a firm is authorised 

·        Be careful of contact that appears to be from your bank or credit union requesting verification account numbers and passwords. Banks and credit unions will NEVER request your full personal access code or password. 

·        If you have previously been a victim of a scam then it is more likely that you will be targeted again. 

·        If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Take your time to think things through and don’t feel pressured into making a decision that you might later regret.


It is important to note that scams can take many formats and you should remain vigilant in order to protect yourself.

Below are some useful links for further information on common scams and steps which you can take to avoid becoming a victim of a scam.

Central Bank of Ireland
Competition & Consumer Protection Commission
FraudSmart
Garda National Economic Crime Bureau
European Consumer Centre Ireland