Glen Hansard fake images latest used in financial scams on Irish social media
In this news:
Key takeaways
- Scammers are using fake images of Glen Hansard in social media ads to promote fraudulent financial investments.
- The ads lead to fake news articles promoting unregulated products that feature crypto trading.
- Banking and Payments Federation Ireland warns that consumers are increasingly targeted by sophisticated social engineering scams.
The elaborate schemes see Mr Hansard's image faked in ads promoting financial investment schemes which are advertised on X. The ads lead to fake articles masquerading as coming from real Irish news sources, claiming Mr Hansard left money in his will which had been invested in certain financial products based outside of Ireland. The products are unregulated and feature crypto trading investments. Users are asked to leave their phone and email details to receive a callback from a representative, with the trading platforms seeking a minimum of €250 minimum.
The ads follow a similar pattern to advertisements using images of AIB chief executive Colin Hunt along with The Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty and broadcaster Claire Byrne in scams to lure in Irish social media users. According to FraudSmart, the awareness initiative led by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland, one in 10 adults in Ireland reported clicking on a link in a text or email before realising it was suspicious. Niamh Davenport, BPFI head of financial crime said that Irish consumers are being “bombarded” with suspicious communications.
“Social engineering lies behind many of the scams we see today, with fraudsters manipulating people into taking actions such as clicking a link or transferring money. They often exploit emotions such as fear and sympathy and may spend time building trust. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent communications,” said Ms Davenport.
AIB urged customers to remain “vigilant” to scammers. “Criminals are increasingly leveraging sponsored and targeted advertisements on social media platforms, fake news articles, and cloned websites and AI-generated content and false endorsements. This content creates convincing investment opportunities that can appear genuine. That’s why people should always Wait a Sec and Double Check. In many cases, these scams are highly sophisticated and are designed to build trust over time, encouraging victims to make repeated payments,” said an AIB spokesperson.
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