Three types of fraud related crimes increased by 370% in Ireland over a one year period amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
With thousands working from home, opportunists have utilised the lower security status of staff that have not been in the office, and many people have fallen victim to date.
The vast array of scam types makes it incredibly difficult for some to spot the warning signs, so An Garda Siochana has today issued an updated list of things to look out for.
According to officers, Vishing (fraud phone calls), Smishing (fraud texts) and Phishing (fraud emails) saw the biggest increase in 2021, compared to 2020.
An Garda Síochána is asking members of the public to be extremely wary of unsolicited phone calls, emails and texts and not to click on any links.
The most prevalent fraudsters are purporting to be from your bank, or other financial institutions, where you are invited to click a link which brings you to a cloned website, where they look for your PIN.
They may also ask for other personal data such as your address, date of birth, PPS number etc.
In one extremely unfortunate case in May 2020, gardaí in Killarney received a report following a fraudulent Bank Text Alert Scam that saw scammers remove €10,000 from the victim’s account.
The fraud was reported quickly and so officers working with the Bank were able to reimburse the €10,000.
An investigation commenced under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 with the Garda identifying a suspect bank account based in Co. Meath.
The holder of that bank account was convicted before Trim Circuit Court in January 2022.
The key to retrieving any lost or stolen money from these online scams is to act quickly and report the matter to An Garda Síochána.
As for the most up-to-date advice on each of these types of fraud, here’s what you need to know:
Vishing - Calls
- Be wary of cold calls received. Ask the caller their name, their phone number and if you are concerned hang up and ring your bank / service provider from a number advertised in a phone book, on your bill or from a Google search.
- Just because the number looks Irish does not mean it is – fraudsters use VOIP and spoofed numbers.
- Never act on advice received or instructions from a cold caller.
- Never give away personal data like bank account details, PIN numbers, credit card numbers, passwords, one time codes, PPS numbers or Eircodes.
- Never download any Apps as these allow the fraudster to take control of your device.
- Be aware that State bodies including the Revenue Commissioners will not ring you to advise that you are under investigation.
- Do not transfer money in any way.
- Before taking any action, seek advice from a trusted person.
Smishing - Texts
- Be wary of such texts even if they are contained within the thread of previous genuine texts from banks.
- Never click on links – by doing so you are accessing cloned websites.
- If you’re expecting a delivery and receive such a text, be very careful.
- Banking institutions will never send a text containing a link.
- An Garda Síochána advise people not to respond to such texts, to take screenshots of the texts received and delete them and to report it to the bank or relevant company and local Garda station.
Phishing – Emails
- Phishing emails can look official – make sure you are certain it’s legitimate before opening an attachment.
- Hover over any hyperlinks so you know where they lead to before you click (or go directly to the source).
- Beware of requests for personal or financial details or requests to reset passwords.
- Delete any suspicious emails, block the sender and don’t forward the email to anyone else.
- Don’t store passwords on your browser. If any of your passwords are compromised, it could lead to a chain of disasters and compromise all your accounts.
- Avoid using personal or untrusted removable devices (such as phones, tablets, iPods, SD Cards) on office systems.
- Beware of generic, impersonal greetings, such as "Dear Friend” or poor spelling and grammar.
- Check the displayed name against the actual email.
- Limit what you share online – cybercriminals use information you post online to learn how to gain your trust.
- Stay updated with security policies and best practices.
