Gardaí in Donegal have issued fresh advice after a woman had funds withdrawn from her An Post account in a scam.
In the latest incident, the woman reported to gardaí that she received a call from a man purporting to be calling on behalf of ‘An Post’.
The caller informed her that an attempt had been made to use her card fraudulently.
“The caller instructed her to log in to her account online which she did and he then provided her with a password to enter into her account with the aim of updating her online security. She entered the password but a short time later she felt suspicious about the call. She contacted An Post directly by phone and while on the phone to them she could see that funds were being withdrawn from her online account without her permission,” said a garda spokesperson.
A number of reports have also been received from people who have fallen victim to the customs charge text message scam.
“This text message purports to be from ‘An Post’ and it contains a link in order for the recipient to pay a customs delivery fee. According to the An Post website they will never ‘send messages that contain any links when contacting you about the payment of customs charges’. When An Post have reason to contact you about a delivery fee or a customs charge then they will direct you to visit their website to pay same. They will not ask you to click on a link within a text message to pay a charge.”
Gardaí are appealing to people to never provide personal or banking details to anyone by phone, email or text message, regardless of who they say they are or why they need it.
They also advise people not to engage with unknown callers, and not to return a call to any phone number that you are not familiar with
A garda spokesperson said: “Do not click on any links in emails or text messages. Do not send money. Do not download Apps / remote access software. Do not withdraw money and lodge it into cryptocurrency ATMs. Screenshot any suspicious emails, text messages or other communication.”
Anyone who is concerned is urged to contact their local garda station.
“Scammers may change their stories or methods but their goal is always the same, they want to access your sensitive information and your money. Always be on guard and advise elderly/vulnerable family members in relation to scams when you become aware of them,” said a garda spokesperson.
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