GARDAI HAVE urged the public to stay vigilant of coronavirus scammers after it emerged an Irish woman was conned out of €30,000 while her husband attended a medical appointment.
It all started when the woman received an email from someone claiming to be her husband, asking her to transfer money to a German bank account.
The woman transferred the requested amount of €30,000 but, after later speaking with her husband, realised she had been the victim of fraud and contacted gardai.
“Unfortunately, we are starting to see a number of frauds and scams being reported,” An Garda Síochána wrote on Facebook.
“For example - recently a businessman was attending a medical appointment. While he was there, his wife received an email from him requesting her to transfer €30,000 to a bank account in Germany.
“His wife carried out the transfer believing this email from her husband was genuine. Later that evening she made her husband aware the transfer had been successful. They then realised they had been scammed and defrauded of €30,000.”
Thankfully all of the money was recovered.
“They immediately reported the matter to local Gardaí and the bank. In addition they contacted Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) seeking assistance,” the Facebook post explained.
“As a result of cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the Financial Intelligence Units of Ireland and Germany, all of the money was recovered.”
Gardai urged the public to beware of anyone calling to their home offering services in relation to COVID-19, including services for COVID-19 tests.
HSE staff (Ambulance, Nurses, Paramedics, Doctors) will not call at any property unless the resident has been in touch with the HSE first.
They also urged the public to beware of emails, online requests, and online advertisements offering COVID-19 related tests & products.
“If in doubt about anyone contacting you, confirm their identity, if you haven’t requested the service be extra careful,” they added.
“Always double check with another person before transferring any money or buying any product.
“Always report any activity you think might be unusual or fraudulent to Gardaí.”
