Gardaí are reminding the public of the dangers of economic fraud and warning people if they receive an unexpected phonecall, text or email requesting personal information such as bank details, they are not to be trusted.
Clare Garda Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks said: “Unfortunately, again this week a number of people have been the victim of scams. One lady got a text from internet banking saying that there had been unusual activity on her account. She followed a link and then realised that two fraudulent transactions on her account.”
“Two more people got a phone call from a male purporting to be from Amazon saying that their accounts had been compromised and that they needed their bank account details which they gave as the male said he needed to reimburse them – four amounts of monies were then taken from their accounts.
Another lady applied for a loan from an Online Cash Finance Company – she was contacted the following day by a male and gave her account details to him and then monies were taken from her account.”
Sgt Brooks said: “We need everyone to spread the word, people of all ages and all walks of life are falling victim to fraud on a daily basis. Anyone who rings, texts or emails you out of the blue and requests personal information such as bank details, they are not to be trusted. Do not click into any links they send you or call the number they contact you from or that is stated in their email.
Never apply for a loan from an entity that is not authorised by the Central Bank. If you think you have been scammed stop communication immediately, contact your bank if you have sent money and don’t be afraid to report it to the Gardaí – you will be treated with total confidentiality.”
A reader contacted The Clare Herald to share his experience with scam callers. He forward this to help ensure no-one falls for it. Our reader simply ignored the audio recording which he received when he answered his phone.
“This was the first time I got this message. I have received the BOI 365, Dept of Social Protection types previously,” he said.
The recorded message said: “This is your Internet provider. Your service will be cut off within the next 24 hours unless you change your IP address now. Click 1 to continue.”
Click here for information and advice from An Garda Síochána’s Economic Crime Bureau.