Longford Gardaí investigating two incidents of fraud

Gardaí in Longford are urging the public to remain vigilant as they continue to receive fraud related reports for investigation. 

On September 21, Gardaí in Granard received a report from a 70 year old lady that she received a phone call from a person claiming to be from Vodafone offering her a €400 refund due to poor broadband quality. 

The woman provided the caller with her bank card details and as a result of this €400 was taken from her current account without her permission or consent. 

On September 19, Gardaí in Longford received a report from a female in her early 20’s who received a text message stating that she had pre approved tax credits with a link. 

The unsuspecting female clicked on the link, which took her to a page which looked like My Revenue and she entered her PPS number, date of birth, address and passwords for My Revenue. The injured party then received a text from BOI with a code to activate a new device. 

The female then entered this code into her Revenue account along with her BOI user name and six digit pin number. Shortly afterwards the female realised that €1,800 was taken from her account.

Sergeant Damien Bartley, Crime Prevention Officer for Longford Roscommon, is reminding people to be vigilant and to be wary of these kinds of messages, especially from a number you are not familiar with, even if it seems like an Irish number.

Sgt Bartley has issued the following advice;

1. Be cautious of unsolicited text messages from unknown senders
2. Do not click on a link or reply to a message
3. Don’t share personal information. Legitimate texts never ask you for personal or financial information
4. DO NOT RESPOND
5. Be familiar with how businesses and services you engage with will contact you – visit their website to find out or ask them how they are likely to contact you
6. Verify sender details by visiting the company’s official website or in the case of your bank, ring the number on the back of your bank card. NEVER use contact details in the text.

If you suspect you are the victim of a fraud, report the matter immediately to your bank or financial institution who can assess your transactions and monitor these for any unusual activity.

If you ascertain that you have been a victim of fraud you should report the matter to your local Garda station.

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