Laois Offaly Gardai issue warning over Covid scams

Laois Offaly Gardai are warning people of another scam related to Covid.

The warning relates to texts and phone calls purporting to come from the HSE seeking personal details.  

Gardai said:  “An Garda Síochána, HSE Ireland and Roinn Sláinte, Department of Health are advising members of the public to be aware of potential 'smishing' and 'vishing' scams relating to the new Covid-19 variant.”

Gardai warned people that the HSE will never text or call individuals requesting personal information and they will never request payment for a Covid-19 antigen test.

“The advice of Gardaí is to never disclose private information over the phone or through text messages and that if people receive such a phone call, they should hang up. In the event anyone mistakenly provides personal information in response to this scam then they should report the matter to their local Garda Station,” Gardai stated.  

Gardaí also asked  members of the public to make contact with any vulnerable friends or family to make them aware of these calls and text messages.