Important message from An Garda Síochána Crime Prevention Unit

Gardaí are receiving an ever increasing number of complaints in relation to fraudulent and illegal scams. The scams can come in the form of texts, emails, telephone calls to your mobile or landline or even through social media. They can be difficult to spot as the correspondence claims to come from a reputable organisation such as your bank, card issuer or even a government department such as Revenue. The message can appear within a genuine thread of text messages that you may have received from a legitimate organisation.

Anyone can fall victim to these scams, however gardaí are asking the public to make vulnerable persons aware of them. The worldwide nature of these scams which are designed to steal money from unsuspecting parties means that they are particularly difficult to investigate.

How to avoid becoming a victim:

Be suspicious of text messages received out of the blue that claim to come from a reputable organisation, such as a bank or credit/debit card issuer.
Be cautious of text messages that prompt you to call a phone number or visit a website to resolve an issue or verify your details urgently.
Do not respond to text messages that request personal information, such as your bank account details, without first independently verifying that they are from a genuine source.
Never reply to text messages that request your PIN, online banking password, or any other password.
Be wary about calling any phone number, or clicking on any link, that is embedded within a text message.
·        Examples of recent fraudulent messages that have been received are purporting to be from Revenue, Amazon, Various couriers/delivery companies, financial institutions, Covid-19 related among others

Gardaí would ask that we all look out for more vulnerable persons with regards to these scams

Remember never click on unknown links or divulge personal information over the phone