A MAJOR scam by sophisticated crooks is sweeping across the country with Donegal gardaí warning extra vigilance is needed in the county.
Innocent members of the public are being targeted by scammers who pretend to be a mobile phone company offering discounts or a cheap handset upgrade.
Partial payment is requested – and the duped victims can lose significant amounts of money.
It is one of many scams going on across Ireland at the moment, prompting gardaí to issue several warnings for Donegal.
Others include fake calls and texts from the Department of Social Protection, another targets international students in fraudulent immigration checks, and one in which the caller claims to be a person’s bank tech team, plus romance scams.
A scam that is especially worrying people is an automated phone hack to collect recordings of people’s voices so crooks can then authorise bank charges.
A Garda spokesperson from Letterkenny Garda Station said: “Gardaí are aware that there is a scam operating in which members of the public receive a call from a scammer purporting to be an employee of a mobile phone company.
“They may offer discounts or a mobile phone upgrade and then seek information from you in order to receive these perks.
“They may request partial payment for a phone upgrade also.
“Gardaí are reminding the public to be alert to scams and never to disclose any personal details over the phone.
“Never share codes passwords over the phone and do not click links contained in unsolicited text messages or emails.
“Should you receive a call such as this, please do not provide any personal information.
“Make contact with your own mobile phone provider directly using a verified contact method to check whether or not the call was genuine.
“Alert your bank and gardaí immediately if you believe that you have fallen victim to any type of a scam.”
Latest Garda figures show that overall fraud offences increased by 73 per cent in the first six months of last year alone compared to the same period in 2024.
The biggest rises included online auction fraud, which was up 166 per cent, and bogus tradesmen, which increased by 57 per cent.
Gardaí revealed that more than €7 million was stolen from romance fraud victims in the five years from 2020.
Some 245 of female victims lost €28,500 on average, with one woman being conned out of €450,000 in 18 transactions, while a man had more than €380,000 stolen, according to gardaí.
A Garda spokesperson added: “Gardaí are aware people have been receiving calls and texts from persons saying they are a named official of the Department of Social Protection.
“Gardaí or personnel from the Department of Social Protection will never contact you through calls or text asking for your personal information.
“If you or someone you know has received such a phone call or text, we would advise you to contact
your bank and the Department’s helpline number 1890 800 024 (between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday), as well as your local Garda station.”
Gardaí have also warned of a new scam targeting students in which fraudsters pressure people to hand over personal information such as email addresses, bank details, and MyGovID details that can be used to access financial information.
They have told students never to provide bank account details or sensitive information like a PPS number to cold callers.
In another scam, people are receiving calls from spoof UK numbers which begin with +44.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Be warned, there are scam calls happening. If you don’t recognise the number, or there is no apparent reason for someone from the UK to call you, please never answer.
“Legitimate callers will leave a message. Some callers can be automated voices or live scammers, sometimes purporting to be working for private companies or tech support for a bank or other organisation.
“They will usually attempt to get some personal or sensitive information from the person being called.
“If you answer, it notifies them that the number is active. When a number is active, it can be sold to telemarketers for a higher price or to another scammer, leading to more unwanted calls.
“If you respond or answer a question, the scammer might record your voice. For example, your ‘yes’ response could be recorded and used to voice-authorise charges to an account.”