Longford Gardaí issue scam alert warning

Longford Gardaí have issued an alert to the public regarding a number of online scams duping unsuspecting people out of their money. Crime Prevention Officer for Longford Roscommon Sergeant Damien Bartley warned of a number of fraud related incidents members of the public should watch out for.

In one example from the Longford area an injured party received a text message purporting to be from Eflow, with a link at the bottom. As they had travelled through the M50 Toll the previous day, he believed it was a legitimate message.

He proceeded to click on the link and entered his current account details. The injured party noticed at a later date that over €3,000 had been taken from his account in one transaction.

In a separate incident, which occurred in the Castlerea area, a male in his early 40s reported that he responded to an ad on Facebook marketplace and purchased an item in Spain. He contacted the seller and sent over €5,000 euros as a deposit for item.

The seller was to send machine from Spain to Lithuania and further payment of over €5,000 was to be paid upon delivery. The machine has not arrived and the seller is no longer contactable. The injured party is at a loss of money’s paid.

Criminals can use fake websites, emails, and text messages to convince you to give your card or to transfer money/information. Once they've stolen your details, they can spend your hard-earned money, open new accounts and even apply for loans in your name.

Here are some tips for recognising when a website isn't all it seems, and how you can protect your card details online.

How to spot fake online retailers:

Check for a padlock symbol in the address bar or browser. The padlock indicates that the site is encrypted, so what you do on it can't be intercepted. Looking for a padlock should always be combined with the other checks, as scammers are able to forge or buy these padlocks, so it isn’t a guarantee that a website is safe.

Look closely at any websites before you use your card.

Are there any typos or grammar errors; is the site poorly designed? Does it have a good return policy? If anything looks unusual, this should be a red flag that you may be on a scam website - don’t complete your transaction if you're unsure.

Check the company’s social media and contact information.

Do they have a genuine social following and legitimate posts? Do they provide a

physical address and phone number? Does their email address have the company

domain name in it, or is it generic, like a Gmail address? If you send an email, does it

get delivered?

How to spot 'smishing' texts:

Never click on links that you receive in a text message, even if the message appears to

have come from a person, or a business you know.

Fraudsters can send messages which appear to come from a trusted source. If you

follow a scam link, you could arrive on a site or form that asks you to give personal

information and card details, which may be used to steal your money.

Examples include:

 Links to update your address, pay a bill or fine.

 Prompts to unblock or unfreeze your account.

 Prompts to reschedule a missed delivery.

If you receive a message with a link or number, then be on guard, even if it claims to come from a person or business you might recognise. Remember the best way to contact any organisation is directly from their app or by using the official contact details on their website.