An Garda Siochana has advised the public to be aware of another Covid-19 scam that have arisen.
Gardaí recently received a report from a company who had received a fraudulent email claiming to be a member of staff in a senior position. They asked that a staff member to go and purchase iTunes gift cards, which they did, and share the 16-digit code on the back of the card. The scammers will then use this code to purchase goods online.
In this incident, the fraudulent email stated the gift cards were being used “as a donation to the local hospice” and made reference to coivd-19.
Gardaí are advising people to be vigilant and suspicious of any calls, voicemails, emails etc. from people claiming to represent a company or organisation you may be a customer of or work for. The person contacting you may have some information about you, so don’t trust them just because they use your name or other personal information.
Always say “NO” to unsolicited calls or emails seeking private information about you. Private information includes your name, address, date of birth, family details, bank account numbers, PIN, Passwords.
Independently verify any requests for information and never use the contact details supplied to you by the person contacting you. If you receive a request from someone within your business and you are unsure, ring them directly to verify. Do not reply directly to the email.
Read more on various Covid-19 scams here
Meanwhile, Gardai recently undertook an investigation after numerous women in a town in Cork reported that a hoax caller contacted them claiming to be the local parish priest and offered to hear their confessions!
It is believed that four different women were contacted over the phone by the man purporting to be ‘Fr Jerry Cremin’.
The woman all realised during the course of the conversation that the caller was a hoax and hung up the phone.
