The Bank of Ireland has announced the launch of new fraud awareness campaign, designed to safeguard the financial wellbeing of its customers and the wider community.

The six events are planned in Bangor, Newry, Omagh, Coleraine, Magherafelt and Lurgan, with further sessions in the pipeline, to ensure customers and consumers in every county across Northern Ireland have an opportunity to attend.

Launching the new series, Gail Goldie, CEO, Bank of Ireland UK said: "Financial crime can take on many different forms, from fraudulent texts, emails and calls through to romance, impersonation and purchase based scams – all with the common goal of taking consumers money.

"In financial services, we are on the front line in defending customers, and wider society, from fraudulent attempts and at Bank of Ireland, we invest significantly in our fraud and financial crime operations to equip our people with the resources and support to protect customers, ensuring that when customers are targeted by a fraudster they know they can talk to us, and not a bot, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

"Through this series of fraud awareness events we want to make consumers more aware of the various types of fraud, what to do if they are ever a victim of fraud, and how we are investing in fraud detection and prevention to protect them from financial criminals.

"Our message to all consumers is clear – Stop, Think, Check. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. Be suspicious and keep your guard up."

The initiative is one element of the Bank's comprehensive consumer fraud awareness programme which is designed to educate and inform consumers about fraud and how they can protect their finances and personal information from fraudsters.

Across Bank of Ireland there are over 200 colleagues working solely on fraud prevention, protection and the detection of financial crime. The Bank also provides 24/7 phone access where customers who are worried about, or who have been impacted by, fraud or financial crime can speak directly to a Bank of Ireland Fraud team member.

In addition to providing immediate support to consumers, Bank of Ireland has partnered with Victim Support NI, recognising that the harm caused by fraudsters often goes beyond the immediate financial impacts.

If people suspect they have been a victim of fraud or financial crime they should contact their bank immediately so that the bank can take action to stop a fraud in progress and try to recover funds. Bank of Ireland customers can call our Fraud Team 24/7, on the Freephone line 0800 121 7790.