Gardaí 'reiterate' finance scam warning as woman in Limerick loses large sum

A WARNING has been issued in relation to financial fraud after a woman in Limerick was scammed out of a “significant amount of money” via mobile banking app.

On Wednesday, March 12, a female in her 40s received a phone call from a caller who presented to be from her banking institution.  

“The caller then convinced the victim to remove a significant amount of money from her bank account into a further financial institution account which she had and had a mobile app for,” said Sergeant Michelle O’Halloran, crime prevention officer at Henry St garda station.

“The victim followed the instructions from the caller, believing the caller to be genuine.  The account was accessed and the money was then removed from the account, with the victim at a financial loss.”

An investigation has been launched by gardaí in Askeaton.

“I wish to reiterate a key message, which is not to discuss your financial accounts over the telephone,” Sgt O’Halloran continued. 

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“If you have any concerns just hang up and ring the company back yourself using a phone number you sourced yourself.  Don’t assume anyone who has sent you an email, text or has called you is who they say they are.”

Research shows that 78% of Irish adults encounter scam communications at least once a month, with nearly half noticing an increase in scam attempts compared to the previous twelve months. 

“Social engineering is one of the most common methods currently used by criminals,” said Sgt O’Halloran.  

“Social engineering is where criminals trick and manipulate people into handing over sensitive information, through texts, emails, calls or online ads.”

FraudSMART and Google have launched a major campaign called ‘See the Scam Behind the Screen’ to warn consumers about social engineering tactics and how to protect yourself from scams. 

The campaign began on March 10 is running for four weeks with a focus on three areas; Investment Scams, Bank Impersonation and Text Scams. 

The aim of the campaign is to provide information to the public on the dangers of social engineering and to create awareness.