Jump in loan scams in Limerick prompts garda warning
Scams in relation to accommodation have been lodged with Limerick gardaí
REPORTS of accommodation scams in one Limerick area have prompted a garda warning against loan and mortgage scams.
A woman reported to gardaí in Patrickswell that she had been the victim of an online loan scam from a false company going by the name of Temple Money Ireland.
“The victim found the company online, thinking it was genuine,” said Sergeant Ber Leetch, crime prevention officer at Henry St garda station.
“Once contacted, the scammers asked the woman to pay €300 up front to secure the loan. She settled this payment and was asked for a further €150 to cover taxes on the loan, which she also paid.
“She was then informed that somebody would contact her to discuss said loan but to date, nobody has. This was a scam.”
Gardaí are now urging people not to apply for a loan online unless they have visited the central bank website.
The central bank register will provide a list of unauthorised firms. Temple Money has been on the unauthorised firms list since August 2023.
Another scam targeting people in Limerick is a text suggesting that people are owed tax credit.
“Everybody believes that they are paying too much tax and everybody could do with extra money now,” Sergeant Ber Leetch said.
“The scammer knows this and hopes people will take the bait. The text reads ‘pre-approved 2024 tax credit repayment cannot be processed. Follow Myrevenueclaim.com to verify information’.
“The minute you click on a link like this, you are in their net and it is only another minute before they are requesting your bank details so that your ‘claim’ can be paid to you.”
Sergeant Leetch concluded by saying that “scammers will clean out your account” if clicking on the link in the text.