PEOPLE who have fallen victim of scams are not reporting them to the Gardai because they have been reimbursed by their bank.
Superintendent Goretti Sheridan spoke at last week’s Joint Policing Committee (JPC) about how their investigations are being impeded because people are unwilling to make statements.
There has been an avalanche of phone scams in recent weeks with daily phone calls that appear to be from Irish mobile numbers and fake text messages which contain links about phantom deliveries.
JPC member James Trearty told the meeting that it had got to the point people are afraid to use their phones. Anyone can fall victim to these scams and Supt Sheridan warned it is affecting young and old.
“A lot of the time we are getting reports of people reporting that money had been taken out of their accounts but won’t make statements because the banks reimburse them. At that stage we are relying on the banks to co-operate with the Gardai so we can fully investigate the offences,” said Supt Sheridan.
The JPC meeting was dedicated to raising awareness about cyber safety and included a presentation from Ulster Bank’s Community Banker for Donegal, Eve Curran. People are often reluctant to share when they have been a victim of a scam because they feel stupid.
“It’s not us, it’s the quality of the attack that makes us vulnerable,” said Ms Curran.
“It isn’t any one group. People traditionally think it is older persons that are affected by scams, although they are a vulnerable group.”
Ms Curran said the amount of money being lost is a big concern. The average amount lost to fraudsters is over €1,000 while only five per cent of scams are reported.
“It is so prevalent, we are trying to get the message out that it can happen to anybody. You do need to let your bank and the Gardai know if you have been a victim so we can attack and respond appropriately,” she said.
The four types of scams that they deal with is postal, telephone scams, traditional doorstep scams and online scams.
“With the Covid era we are seeing an increase in text messages and email phishing. The aim is to get you to try and click on the link. Once you click on the link you could be directed either to a site that is not the real deal that is looking for your information or the fact that you have responded they know that number is a live number and the number could be sold on.
“Anything that is coming in that is unexpected should be treated with extreme caution.”
The younger generation are also vulnerable as they have full identities online from a very young age, especially since the pandemic.
“Money mules are very much on the rise where perhaps for example students are targeted with adverts for easy money and when money is tight and you are a student you might well give over your bank details to someone,” warned Ms Curran.
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