Midlands family scammed by those purporting to be Aer Lingus staff
€2,000 was cleared from their account
An midlands family has been scammed out of €2,000 by those purporting to be Aer Lingus booking staff.
The con has caused Laois Offaly independent TD Carol Nolan to urged constituents to be extra vigilant after she was contacted by the family.
Deputy Nolan said the ongoing industrial action at the airline, that is impacting tens of thousands of customers, is causing massive levels of anxiety and distress.
This in turn, she said, is leading people to getting their hopes up while letting their guard down when they receive calls of this kind:
“Unfortunately, these fraudsters never miss an opportunity to make a quick bit of cash off the back of ordinary people’s misfortunes. They are despicable, and I am urging all my constituents to be extremely cautious when giving out any personal or bank details over the phone,” said Deputy Nolan.
“The family I was contacted by had €2,000 cleared from their account, money which they could not afford. They then had to book another flight at double the cost of the initial flight because they had an important family event to attend.
“These are not what you might term vulnerable people, such as older people unfamiliar with the phenomenon of scamming. However, in this instance they were highly stressed, they let their guard down, and they were roped in by the apparent authenticity of the call.
“As I understand it their bank is trying to assist with the fraud but whatever happens it has thrown a really dark cloud over what should have been a joyous time for them.
“It is highly likely that this same scam artist tried to contact other people within the constituency. Never give any personal or bank details to anyone that you do not know or completely trust,” concluded Deputy Nolan.