If a stranger on the phone asks you to type a code beginning with *21* into your mobile, hang up. That is the stark message from FraudSMART, the fraud awareness campaign backed by Ireland’s banks, which issued a fresh alert on Friday 30 October about a phone trick that can quietly hand your calls to someone else.
How the *21* trick works
According to FraudSMART’s alert, the scam involves an unexpected caller persuading you to dial *21* followed by a phone number they give you. On most mobile networks, that short sequence switches on call forwarding, so calls meant for you are diverted to the number the caller chose.
The danger is that you may not notice anything has changed. Your phone simply stops ringing for some calls, while someone else picks them up. That could include calls from your bank, a delivery company or anyone else trying to reach you, and a fraudster answering in your place could try to use those calls to their advantage.
The caller will usually have a convincing reason. Fraudsters often pose as a bank, a phone or broadband provider, or a government body, and FraudSMART warns that knowing some of your personal details does not prove a caller is genuine. Caller ID can also be faked.
Not the only phone scam doing the rounds
The alert comes days after gardaí in Limerick warned the public about two phone scams targeting women in the county, the Limerick Post reported on 27 October.
In one case, a woman in her seventies was told her Visa card had been “hacked” and money taken. She was talked into downloading an app and transferring money through it, and only became suspicious when the caller asked for more. In the other, a woman in Caherconlish received a call from someone claiming to be from her internet provider. She gave her Visa debit card details and security code, and money was later taken from her account. The amounts lost were not disclosed.
The bigger picture is worrying. FraudSMART said in September that losses to fraudulent payments and scams reached €179 million in 2025, a jump of 27%, and its research found that only around 15% of people check whether a suspicious contact is genuine.
How to protect yourself
- Never dial a code on request. Do not enter *21* or any other code an unexpected caller asks you to dial.
- Check your settings. If you think you may have been caught, look at the call forwarding settings on your phone, or contact your mobile network, and switch off any diversion you did not set up.
- Hang up and call back. Use the number on the back of your bank card or the organisation’s official website, not one the caller gives you. On a landline, use a different phone if possible, because fraudsters can keep a line open.
- Guard your codes. Never share your PIN, passwords, one-time passcodes or card security code with an unexpected caller.
- Know what your bank won’t do. Banks will not ask you to move money to a “safe” account or to download an app on a caller’s instructions.
- Act fast. If you have shared details or sent money, contact your bank immediately and report it to gardaí.
Pressure and panic are the scammer’s main tools. If a call makes you feel rushed, that is the moment to stop.
This article is general consumer information, not financial advice.
What happens next
FraudSMART and gardaí regularly update their warnings as new tactics emerge, and the run-up to Black Friday and Christmas traditionally brings a spike in scam calls, texts and fake delivery messages. Anyone who has been targeted, even if they did not lose money, can help others by reporting it to their bank and to gardaí. Talk to older relatives and neighbours about the *21* trick: a two-minute conversation could save someone a great deal.
Sources
- FraudSMART: Alerts, including ‘Fraud Alert: Do not dial *21* phone codes at the request of an unexpected caller’ (30 October 2026)
- FraudSMART: Phone scams (accessed 30 October 2026)
- Limerick Post: Garda warning after woman scammed in fake call (27 October 2026)
Featured image: photo by Miryam León on Unsplash.
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