An Irish person was moments away from having over €1,000 stolen from their bank account by a fraudster on a scam call, only for Gardai to intervene and prevent the damage from being done.
Officers in Donegal have received multiple reports of scam calls which encourage people to download an app, all the while pretending to be representing a phone company.
If the suggested app is downloaded, the scammer then takes control of the device remotely. The scammer in some cases was even able to send text messages remotely.
The scammer then informs the recipient of the call that they are owed a refund and they request bank details in order to forward said refund but when/if the bank details are provided to them, they then attempt to make a withdrawal.
A spokesperson explained: "An attempt was made to withdraw €1600 from one person's account today but thankfully it was stopped in time. The scammer was even able to provide this person with their correct name and address when they were asked which unfortunately had caused the person concerned to believe that the scam caller was genuine."
The spokesperson reiterated the main Garda advice of what to do if you think you're being faced with a scam message.
They continued: "Scammers are constantly thinking up new ways of swindling people out of their hard earned money. Do not make life easy for them!
"Never provide personal/bank details over the phone, by text message or by email. Never download an app at the request of a caller, regardless of who they say they are.
"Should you receive a similar type of call and you are in fact a customer of the company named by the caller, hang up and contact the company via a verified number directly to enquire about the call.
"If you are not a customer of the company named, simply hang up. If you think that you may have fallen victim to this or any other type of scam, contact your bank immediately and also report the matter to Gardaí."
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