Members of the public are being urged to pay heed to advice from An Garda Síochána in relation to a scam.
Gardaí have been made aware of a recent telephone scam where a male/female caller states they are from Revenue and seeks immediate payment of a tax bill over the phone. In cases they have provided a telephone number to call back for people to give their credit card details.
A spokesperson for the Gardaí told The Clare Herald “This caller is not calling from Revenue. This is a scam and An Garda Síochána would like to remind the public to be wary of any contact from an unsolicited source, whether it is by telephone or email.
“Do not give out your credit/debit card, bank account, or PPS Number to anyone who makes contact with you over the phone. An Garda Síochána, Revenue, nor any Financial Institution will ever call you and ask for your PPS number or bank account details”.
Revenue are encouraging individuals to contact necessary personnel if they receive suspicious calls out of the blue. A representative for Revenue stated “Although we have not received reports of anyone being taken-in by this scam, anyone who mistakenly provides personal information in response to these types of fraudulent phone calls should contact their bank or credit card company immediately and alert the Gardaí. It’s important to point out that these types of scams in no way involve Revenue’s systems or security”.
Members of the Clare Garda Force issued a warning earlier this week with residents of West Clare targeted as part of the scam.
If a member of the public receives a call from anyone requesting any personal or financial information, they should end the call and report the matter to their local Garda Station, to any Garda station, or to the Garda Confidential line on 1800-666-111.