Issue Date: 09/03/2021
Have you ever received a text (smishing), an email (vishing) or a phone call (phishing) allegedly from a reputable company or state agency asking you to click on a link?
• 45 records of phishing/vishing/smishing frauds ion 1st week February 2021, compared to 13 for same period in 2019/ 2020
• 80% increase in reported crimes 2020/ 2019
• Over €640,000 value of reported crimes in 2020
• €53,000 stolen in one case alone
This fraud targets everyone in society. Of the 45 cases in February 2021
• 19 persons <50, 26 persons >50
• Youngest 17, Oldest 88
• 48% male/ 52% female
An Garda Síochána wish to advice members of the public of smishing/vishing/phishing fraud. The most prevalent types are purporting to be from your bank, or other financial institution, where you are invited to click a link, which brings you to a cloned website, subsequently looking for your pin. They may also seek other personal data. Address, date of birth, pps numbers etc…
Brexit and the Covid 19 pandemic has added a new dimension also, the business model of the fraudster changes with the social environment.
The increase in online shopping and deliveries has also create greater opportunities for the fraudster
The Advice from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) is
• Never click on a link of an unsolicited text
• Never give away personal data like PIN number, card numbers, passwords, one time codes
• Banks would never request a customer return a card to the bank in such circumstances
• Be very wary of cold calls – just because the number looks Irish does not mean it is – fraudsters use VOIP numbers
• If you are concerned hang up and ring your bank/service provider from a number advertised in the phone book or on your bill
• If you are expecting a delivery and receive such a text, be very careful. Contact the delivery service
Gardaí would advise people not to respond to such texts, to make screenshots of the texts received and delete them and to report it to the bank or relevant company and local Garda station.
