The latest scam targeting people in Ireland has seen one unfortunate victim lose €4,000 as a stark warning is issued.
Scammers are reportedly calling people’s phones pretending to be from Eir’s technical support team and are telling customers their internet needs to be upgraded.
They are then getting the customers to download an app called TeamViewer onto their phones, through which they can take over the device.
They will then ask for your bank details - attached to your Eir account - and a copy of your driver’s licence to prove your identity.
Gardai then said that if a person falls for this, the fraudsters download the Revolut app and transfer money from their bank account as payment.
Speaking to Patricia Messinger on C103's Cork Today Show today, Sgt John Kelly of Fermoy Garda Station explained: "Using the copy of the driving licence provided by the injured party and their bank account details, they set up a Revolut account and transfer probably in the region of €4,000 out of their account."
In order to avoid this kind of loss he said: "Short and simple – if you receive a call from somebody claiming to be from Eir or whoever and they're going into dealing with your bank account details and they're telling you to install something on your phone or on your computer, just terminate the call straight away.”
Sgt Kelly went on to say that you should only download apps that you personally know of and understand how they work, rather than being instructed over the phone to do so.
"If you want to put an app on a phone, let it be an app that you want to put in, not somebody ringing you telling you to put it on," he said.
"People should be very, very wary of taking phone calls."
Kelly said that scams of this kind have "grown exponentially over the last couple of years" and he urges the public to be aware that their personal information can be easily accessible.
"You have to treat the virtual world as your other front door," he said.
"It's just not the fraudulent caller calling to your physical front door on the street or in an estate anymore.
"They could be anywhere in the world and they are able to manipulate you – it's like a good salesperson that can sell you anything."
