Gardaí in Limerick urge caution following 'insidious' finance scam

AN ELDERLY man who fell victim to a cold call scam and lost money as a result has prompted gardaí in Limerick to issue advice to the public.

“A man in his 80’s received a phone call claiming to be from his banking provider in which he was given information in relation to a transaction and a claim of a bogus overpayment from another bank,” said Sergeant Michelle O'Halloran, crime prevention officer based in Henry St garda station.

“The victim here followed the instructions of the bogus caller believing him to be genuine and this resulted in a quantity of cash being stolen from his account. 

“A key message is not to discuss your financial accounts over the telephone with persons claiming to be from a financial institution,” she said. 

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Urging caution, Sgt O’Halloran continued by saying she would “encourage people to discuss these types of crimes with elderly relatives and friends to caution them about bogus callers”.

“It’s a particularly insidious crime and can have serious financial implications for victims,” she said. 

“Be wary of cold calls, 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.”  

Never click on links or give away your personal data e.g., bank details, PIN numbers, passwords, one time codes, PPS number or Eircode.

If you have been a victim of any fraud or scam, change your passwords and pin codes, report it to your bank immediately, ask them to do a recall, and report it to gardaí.