Gardaí have warned of an increased number of phishing scams in recent days related to the Covid-19 crisis.
The Garda Western Region posted on its facebook page that there have been reports of scams taking advantage of, and directly related to, the Covid-19 pandemic.
“People are getting dodgy requests for bank details via text, email or website links,” a post shared on their facebook page said.
“Please DO NOT respond to these scams – genuine businesses will never ask for your financial data using these methods.”
People seeking more information, and advice, about how to deal with these kinds of fraudsters are advised to check out FraudSMART, a fraud awareness initiative developed by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland.
They have created a page for dealing with Covid-19 related scams, with advice such as:
- Never respond to unsolicited emails requesting sensitive personal information.
- Never give out personal details, bank account information, or security details such as your PIN online.
- Don’t open any email attachments or links until you have verified the source.
- Be wary of emails that use generic greeting like Dear Sir/Madam instead of your name.
- Don’t open emails you think are spam.
- And lastly, if you think you have been the victim of a scam or phishing, contact your bank immediately.
