Scam Alerts

Overview

Scam alerts cover fraud circulating in Ireland that impersonates bodies people here trust and expect to hear from — the HSE, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Social Protection, and government housing schemes. They arrive by SMS and by WhatsApp, and they work by attaching a small payment or an urgent identity check to something you genuinely depend on: your healthcare, your welfare payment, your housing, or a criminal investigation you are told you are part of. Each of the bodies being impersonated has published its own warning. The HSE says its services do not ask for payment by SMS. An Garda Síochána says Gardaí will never contact you out of the blue over the phone and request your bank account details. The Department of Social Protection says its staff never ask for your PPS number or bank account details by phone or text. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage says it does not directly engage with the public regarding the provision of accommodation and never seeks personal details from members of the public. This section also carries the one approach that follows any scam rather than impersonating one body in particular: the recovery scam, where someone who has already lost money is contacted again and offered it back for a fee. The Central Bank of Ireland states that a victim of a scam or fraud is likely to be targeted again, weeks or years later.