Tag Archives: crime

PEOPLE of all ages and all walks of life are falling victim to fraud on a daily basis, Clare gardaí have warned. Victims of suspected scams are being urged to contact their local garda station, with assurances that they will be treated with total confidentiality. This comes as reports of yet more frauds operating in the county have come to light. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks outlines a number of incidences during which members of the public were targeted by fraudsters and money was taken from bank accounts. “Unfortunately, again this week a number of people have been the victim of scams One lady got a text from internet banking saying that there had been unusual activity on her account. She followed a link and then realised that two fraudulent transactions on her account. “Two more people got a phone call from a male purporting to be from Amazon saying that their accounts had been compromised and that …

AN Ennis woman paid out more than €1,600 to scammers in the latest incident of ‘advance fee fraud’ to be reported to gardaí in the county. Fraudsters are using this scam to target vulnerable people and those who have difficulty getting loans from established financial institutions, Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains. She is urging Clare people to never apply for a loan from an entity that is not authorised by the Central Bank. Sergeant Brooks confirmed that gardaí received a report of this fraud after a woman in Ennis applied for a loan on-line from a site purporting to be a legitimate loan site. “She was informed that the loan had been granted and asked to pay €699 to guarantee the loan which she paid into a Revolut account. A short time later she received a call from a person looking for a further deposit to pay for administration fees and she then paid €950 into the …

RISING demand for staycations could lead to an increased risk of the theft of caravans, with those planning on buying a caravan also being warned to be on alert. “Going on holiday at home and the use of caravans has become very popular and with the demand for caravans increasing so will the possibility in an increase in thefts caravans,” says Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. She urges those with a caravan to get an alarm fitted and to keep doors and windows locked at all times, even if out for a short period of time. “GPS tracking devices can be relatively inexpensive. Consider uniquely marking your caravan on various parts of it and take a photograph showing any marks, scratches or dents,” she adds. Wheels clamps are a visual deterrent, she advises saying, “ use a good standard clamp which will take time, effort and noise to remove. Ensure that you have a hitch lock in place.” …

GARDAÍ in Shannon are seeking information on a car which was used to flee the scene of an attempted burglary in Sixmilebridge last week. Two men, armed with a metal bar and a baseball bat, fled from the house in Gort an Null in a black BMW 5 series after they were seen by an occupant of the house. The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 6. According to a spokesperson for Clare Gardaí, “Gardaí are investigating a burglary which took place at Gort an Null, Sixmilebridge. The injured party observed two males at the door. One was in possession of a metal bar and the other with a baseball bat. The injured party shouted at the two males who then ran and got into a black BMW 5 series, possibly a 2004/2007 model 5 series, which was parked beside the building. They drove off with the boot open. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Shannon Garda Station at …

GARDAÍ are following “a definite line of enquiry” following two separate drugs seizures in Clare. As part of an ongoing operation targeting the cultivation of drugs in West Clare last Monday evening, June 28, uniformed Gardaí from Kilrush Garda Station executed a search warrant in a house in Liscannor. During the course of the search four cannabis plants with a value of €3,200 were seized. Later the same evening the Divisional Drugs Unit searched a house in Lahinch and seized cannabis plants worth €8,800. No arrests were made on the day but gardaí say they are following a definite line of enquiry and files will be prepared for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

CLARE people looking for romance online are being warned to be careful not just with their heart, but with their personal information, as details have emerged that a young man was blackmailed by fraudsters. The man had exchanged a series of texts including images with someone he understood to be a woman, however a demand was then made for money otherwise the images would be put online. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks outlined that the young man had been on an online dating app, but he later provided his personal mobile phone number to the person he had linked with on the app. “A series of texts containing pictures and videos were exchanged. A demand was made for a sum of money to be paid or the pictures and videos would be posted on-line,” she said. She has offered some tips to help others not to fall for a romance scam. “Trust your instincts – if you think …

A SCHOOL in the county was targeted by fraudsters who managed to compromise the principal’s email, however no funds were stolen, gardaí have confirmed. According to Clare Gardaí the financial officer of the school was contacted by a scammer pretending to be the school principal authorising payment to a company. In light of this, Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks has issued advice to businesses, urging “robust policies and procedures” be put in place when it comes to dealing with banking details. She outlined, “The financial officer in a school in the county received an e-mail which looked like it was from the principal of the school authorising payment to a company who had not done any work in the school. “The principal’s email had been compromised but thankfully it was discovered before any payment was made.” Sergeant Brooks advises, “Ensure staff take great care and attention each time they are asked to change bank account details. “Check the …

ANYONE who makes contact unexpectedly and requests personal information such as bank details are not to be trusted, gardaí in Clare have warned in the wake of further reports of people becoming victims of scams. Clare Victim Liaison Officer Garda Siobhán Madden has revealed details of two frauds reported to gardaí recently, while offering advice to the public to be vigilant. The first incident saw a man receive a phone call for a person pretending to be ringing from his bank. “The caller alleged that he was an employee of the bank and stated that he had observed suspicious activity on the injured party’s account. The injured party confirmed that he did not carry out any transactions on this date and whilst on the phone a text message came through to the his phone, he believed it to be from bank, the message was an authentication code, which the injured party called out to the caller, the injured party then …