In the quiet hours of an evening in Ireland, this SMS from an unknown sender mimics legitimate bank alerts to trick recipients. Posing as AIB, it claims a blocked charge and prompts replies of 1 or 9 to verify ownership, a classic phishing tactic designed to harvest personal details or confirm active numbers. Legitimate banks like AIB use secure apps or official channels, never unsolicited texts demanding quick responses. Hang up or delete immediately if called; report to authorities like the Data Protection Commission. Forward suspicious messages to 7726 to aid spam blocking, and enable two-factor authentication on banking apps for added security.
A fraudulent SMS purported to be from AIB, claiming a blocked charge and requesting a reply of 1 or 9 if it belonged to you. Beware—AIB never operates this way.
