With Christmas shopping in full swing, the public is being advised to ensure they don’t fall foul of the various scams that are being reported at the moment.
Scams can take various forms; online, over the phone (including texts) or at ATMs or other points of payment.
Speaking to Tipp Mid West, Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Tom O’Dwyer advised that financial institutions never ask for personal details over the phone; so don’t divulge any details if prompted to do so out of the blue.
Locally, one specific scam has been noticed recently in which people have received calls from an 051 number, in which those on the other end claim to be from Revenue, informing the unsuspecting householder that they are due money, and should hand over their personal details to complete the transaction.
There are also reports of fraudulent text messages doing the rounds. Sgt O’Dwyer has pointed out that again, this is a fraud.
Also, when locking your car remotely, ensure it is indeed locked, as some criminals now use a device to make it seem as though your car is locked, but actually is not. The advice here is to physically check to make sure the doors are locked.
