Limerick gardaí warn of rise in text scams which sees woman robbed of €8k
Gardaí urge public to 'not be complacent'
AN INCREASE of “more sophisticated” text scams sparks cautionary warnings from Limerick gardaí.
Concerns surrounding phone crimes have prompted gardaí to issue advice on how to avoid scammers who claim to offer services on behalf of the government.
A GOV.ie scam text has been circulating, with members of the public being robbed of thousands of euros.
A woman in her late 60s in Galway reported to the gardaí that she had been robbed of €8,000, having received a text message that “looked like it was from GOV.ie”.
“The text stated that she [the victim aged in her 60s] was entitled to a discount on her electricity bill under a benefit scheme,” said Sergeant Ber Leetch, crime prevention officer at Henry St garda station.
“There was a link in the text and unfortunately, she clicked on it and disclosed her banking details and other contact details. Later that day she received a call, this time she believed that she was speaking to her bank's head office.”
Informed that there was suspicious activity on her account and that her card had to be surrendered immediately to protect her money, a courier came to the woman’s house.
“Her bankcard was subsequently used in Dublin to withdraw cash from an ATM and to make purchases. The total loss to the lady is over €8,000,” Sgt Leetch said.
A second incident saw a very similar forged GOV.ie scam happen to another elderly woman in Galway, which saw scammers make five purchases from her bank account.
Sgt Leetch said that despite the scams happening in Galway, “scammers will attempt this all over the country” and that members of the public should “not be complacent” and “ask [themselves], could this be a scam?”.
“In both of these cases, the text came out of the blue and alarm bells should immediately go off in your head. Ring a trusted friend or family member for advice, but do not click on a link.”