Danske Bank has created a new specialist fraud and cyber crime team to help combat the rising threat to customers from fraudsters and criminal gangs.

The Bank announced today that the front-line fraud team of eight people will be focused on educating its customer base and wider NI society about the complexity of new types of fraud. It will also be available to engage with customers that fall victim to such attacks or who think they may be being targeted.

Two women stand either side of a man. They are holding tablets. The man is holding a phone to the camera, and on the screen is a purple background with a suspicious character on a computer. The same image is on a large TV behind the people.

Danske Bank’s new Fraud & Cyber Crime Manager, Chris Wynne (centre) is joined by Fraud Liaison Officers Grainne Mackle (left) and Lisa Pollock (right) to launch the bank’s new dedicated Fraud & Cyber Crime team.

Vicki Hassan, Head of Transaction Banking at Danske Bank, said: “This new team brings together expertise in card, ATM, cheque and payment fraud, and will be led by newly appointed Fraud & Cyber Crime Manager, Chris Wynne. Fraud and cyber crime are growing threats to our customers and our business. All banks are seeing a rise in attacks, with people tricked into revealing personal details or having their information stolen. Danske Bank has established this team because we believe it is essential for our customers to understand the risks and be able to talk directly to experts if they are targeted by a scam.”

She added: “People don’t realise that the majority of fraudsters aren’t sitting in their bedrooms in Northern Ireland. We’ve seen payments going to China, Russia, the US and beyond in scams operated by well-resourced organised crime gangs using sophisticated social engineering techniques to exploit people’s weaknesses. It is something all of us must be wary about.”

Danske Bank currently educates its customers about common scams and gives advice on avoiding fraud and what to do if they feel they’ve been targeted by fraudsters through its Keep it Safe campaign.

But Chris Wynne, Fraud & Cyber Crime Manager, says the new team will enable it to do more to reach customers with news about the latest tech support, malware and payment detail scams.

“Last year saw an increase in more sophisticated, but at the same time simple types of fraud. Criminals are targeting the weakest link of the fraud cycle, you and me. The new team will have a focus on being there for our customers when they need us and supporting our colleagues in their interactions with both personal and business customers.

“We also want all colleagues to be able to confidently talk about these newer types of fraud, and we want our customers to be able to recognise when all is not as it seems, and to try and stop the fraud before it happens. Fraud isn’t something people talk about, but we need to talk about it more to raise awareness of the threats facing us all.”

More information on Danske Bank’s Keep it Safe campaign can be found on the Keep it safe webpages.