Gardai have issued new scam warning as three more fraudulent texts have started doing the rounds in recent days.
As always, criminals are trying to get Irish people to hand over their hard-earned cash by pretending to be stuck in a certain situation which requires finance.
And the trio of texts have been seen by gardai - with some officers even getting them to their personal phones.
READ MORE:Gardai warn of fraud ring operating in Ireland using text scam to steal thousands from bank accounts
Gardai attached to divisions in Laois and Offaly issued a warning on social media on Thursday.
In a Facebook post, they said: "Just a reminder that we all receive text messages that try to deceive us and panic us into reaction. Here are three we have seen very recently with links. Remember do not follow links and if your doctor wants you they don't text like this."
Scammers use software to call or text a range of numbers at the same time and then note which are answered.
Answered numbers are recorded as genuine in-use numbers and may be sold on the internet to other cyber criminals.
If you have fallen victim to a scam previously, you may be contacted by other scammers who claim to be able to help you to get your money back for a fee.
Other helpful tips include:
- Hang up if a caller pressures you, claims that urgent action is needed or threatens negative consequences. Ask a relative or someone you trust if they think the call was genuine.
- If a call or text message claims to be from a bank, government agency or a company you do business with it is best not to engage with the caller or message the sender. Instead, end the call, look up their official contact details and contact them back to verify if the call is legitimate.
- If you have friends or relatives abroad that may be calling you, store their number (including the country prefix) in your phone. Get to know the prefix for the country they might be calling from.
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READ MORE:Ireland scams: Gardai join forces with Interpol to take down scam gang who have stolen €18million
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