Gardaí have warned of a scam where emails and texts are being sent to people in Ireland pretending to be from various courier companies.
The scam texts ask recipients to pay an additional cost for customs clearance before the company will deliver their parcel.
In some instances the scammers have even sent out texts in Irish.
Recipients are asked not to provide payment details, and to take a screenshot of the correspondence and delete it. Anyone who believes they have been the victim of fraud is asked to report the matter to their local Garda station.
An Garda Síochána is advising people who receive unsolicited correspondence and are awaiting a package to first independently verify the status of their package with the relevant postal service or courier.
People are advised they should never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited texts or emails, and never provide payment details or give away any personal bank details.
Gardaí say that the scams takes advantage of the confusion around Brexit and uses this uncertainty to defraud people.
Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau issued the following advice on scam texts and emails: “Be careful, do your research, don’t rush in, ask yourself why me?
“Why am I getting this great offer, and if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”
