Bank of Ireland’s fraud prevention team received over 10,000 calls from customers during the peak holiday period – Monday 23 December to Sunday 29 December – with more than 550 calls from customers on Christmas day alone.

Over the holiday period, the busiest day for calls from customers was 23 December with over 2,800 calls received.

The Bank’s fraud prevention team is available to customers across Ireland and the UK 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Customers call the team for a range of reasons including spotting a transaction on their account or card that they don’t recognise, if they are contacted by a fraudster via text, call or social media, reporting a lost card, or if they are worried they may have shared their confidential banking information as a result of one of these contacts.

Research conducted on behalf of Bank of Ireland shows that three in four consumers want to be able to speak directly with someone at their bank or financial service provider if they fall victim to fraud or are worried about a transaction.

Susan Russell, Chief Executive Officer Retail Ireland, Bank of Ireland says “Fraudsters never take a break and are always on. That’s why we offer a 24/7 telephone line for fraud and security support.

Fraudsters are constantly evolving their tactics to defraud customers, with a recent warning alerting consumers to the rise of ‘Live chat’ scams where people are tricked into allowing fraudsters remote access to their computers and bank accounts.

Bank of Ireland has published a four-point plan to better protect consumers and businesses from fraud, calling for action in a number of areas where consumers are especially vulnerable to fraud and where change is urgently required.