GARDAÍ in Clare have issued a warning to the public after a number of people were victims of scams.
Last Tuesday, April 27, at 12 noon a gentleman received a phone call from a person claiming to be from the office of the Attorney General and alleging that he had been involved in money laundering.
The caller asked him to transfer a sum of money to an account. It was after he did this that he realised this was a scam.
In a separate incident a lady received a phone call from a person pretending to be from her bank and telling her that her account has been used for money laundering. She was asked to transfer her money to another account which she unfortunately did.
Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks also outlines that there have also been reports of people getting calls from an 083 number claiming to be from the Department of Social Protection.
The recipients of these calls are being told there is a warrant out for them. “Thankfully the people receiving these calls hung up,” she said.
Meanwhile, a man was scammed out of money after seeing a Playstation for sale on Facebook.
“He contacted the seller and paid over a sum of money for the equipment. He has since been unable to make contact with the seller and has not received the Playstation,” said Sergeant Brooks.
“Whilst the scammers may change their stories or methods, their goal is always the same – they want to access your sensitive information and get their hands on your money. Never give out your information be it over the phone, text or email. We need everyone to spread the word, people of all ages and all walks of life are falling victim to fraud on a daily basis.
“Anyone who rings, texts or emails you out of the blue and requests personal information such as bank details, they are not to be trusted. Do not click into any links they send you or call the number they contact you from or that is stated in their email.”