The top 10 Irish scams the public need to know about
SCAM artists are at large like never before across Ireland.
Here, in Mayo, we have reported on quite a few over the past number of months, including the fraud email from 'Revenue' and impersonators knocking omn doors of homes before leaving with money or valuables.
So here is a list of the top 10 scams currently doing the rounds of this country despite the best efforts of An Garda Siochana to track down those responsible.
Unfortunately, too many innouce people have already suffered at the hands of these fraudsters.
1. The roofing scam
Locals in Mount Merrion and Blackrock, Co. Dublin, were targeted by scam artists offering to repair roofs which they claim are damaged.
They appear at the door of the victim and offer to repair the damage, then go to the roof and remove several tiles and claim that essential repairs need to be carried out. Instead, they strip away tiles and demand thousands of euro for the repair work.
2. Fake waste collectors
A number of people living in Sandyford and Ballyogan, Co Dublin, were sent flyers by cowboy waste collectors believed to be involved in criminal gangs.
In many cases the collectors turn up at the date mentioned on the flyer and ‘cherry pick’ through the various items left out by the householder. They are selective in what they take – if they think it has a resale value or they can sell it for scrap, it’s taken. Otherwise the junk is left at the curbside and the resident is left facing a €4,000 fine.
3. The Microsoft scam
A woman in Meath was scammed for €500 by a bogus caller claiming to be from Microsoft.
In this case, the woman received a call from a foreign number and a caller who claimed to be from Microsoft. The caller requested remote access to her computer and then obtained the woman’s Visa Debit card number.
4. Conman council workers
Incidents have been reported across the north-east where conmen are posing as council workers and attempting to gain access to homes.
The men are wearing high-visibility jackets and often they will try to distract the resident at the front door while an accomplice attempts to get into the house via the back door.
An elderly couple at Summerhill Road, Trim, reported that two men called to the home claiming to be from the local authority and said they needed to get in to look at pipework. While this was happening, one went went through the back door and stole a purse.
5. Student rental scam
According to gardai, students in Cavan were duped out of deposits paid on houses they only viewed online and without meeting the prospective landlord in person.
The elaborate scam sees the fraudsters establish phone numbers, identifications and banking details to swindle potential student renters out of hundreds of euros.
The electronic payments are often quickly withdrawn and the renter, upon arrival at property, is left red-faced and out-of-pocket.
6. The internet love scam
A Westmeath man is “living on the breadline” after sending over €45,000 to a Ghanaian nurse he met online.
In a story that must be read to be believed, “Jim” sent his mystery lady significant sums of cash and even borrowed €25,000 from friends to help her emigrate to Ireland.
7. The Eir email scam
A local woman in Mullingar lost €2,000 after sending money to a fake company she believed to be telecom provider Eir.
The woman said she received an email pretending to be from Eir which asked for bank card details to process payments correctly.
She gave the details and €2,000 was taken out of her account on the same day.
8. “Vishing”
In one of the most elaborate phone scams seen in Ireland today, “vishing” has left some members of the public out of pocket to the tune of €38,000.
Bogus callers claiming to be from well-known companies request financial details to process payments correctly.
When this request is denied, the fraudster advises the person to either make contact with their financial institution or contact the Gardaí.
The customer then hangs up and assumes they are phoning either the bank or the Gardaí as instructed. However, the fraudulent caller has remained on the line, resulting in the victim disclosing their personal banking details.
9. The Lent collectors scam
Two parishes in Co. Offaly were targeted by fraudsters claiming to be involved with Trócaire's Lenten campaign.
The crooks delivered Trócaire boxes to the door and left instructions that they would call back after Lent to collect them.
The individuals involved were not affiliated with Trócaire or the local diocese and, thankfully, no donations were made to them.
10. The Revenue email scam
The Revenue Commissioners have issued a warning to the public over bogus emails offering tax refunds to people in Mayo.
A well-known businessman who was targeted by the scam said his 'correspondence' claimed he was entitled to a tax refund of €376.51 and to supply personal information immediately in order to claw back that amount.
The scam message, in full, read: “After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of €376.51. To access your tax refund, please download and fill the Tax Refund Form attached to this email. Click to apply refund form.
'Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 2-5 days in order to process it. A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. As example, for submitting invalid records or applying over the deadline.”