GARDAÍ HAVE issued a nationwide warning after reports of a new scam targeting the elderly began to emerge.
Gardaí across Ireland ave received multiple reports of a scam where an elderly person would receive a call from a person pretending to be with the HSE, offering them an appointment to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to The Journal, one elderly woman became suspicious after the hospital she was offered the vaccine in was much further away than her nearest hospital; the scammer then offered to send someone to her home to give her the vaccine and questioned her as to her age, address and whether she lived alone.
The woman told her daughter about the phonecall, and she in turn contacted her GP who confirmed it was a scam; one of many operating in Ireland at the moment.
It is expected that the woman would have been pressured into giving money to the scammer if she had given her details.
Gardaí have warned of scammers targeting vulnerable elderly people by pretending to offer them a Covid-19 vaccination appointmentIn a statement, Gardaí said there are multiple scams operating across Ireland with regards to the Covid-19 vaccine, and warned the public to be vigilant and remain "suspicious of any calls, voicemails, emails etc. from people claiming to represent a company or organisation you may be a customer of or work for.
"The person contacting you may have some information about you, so don’t trust them just because they use your name or other personal information. Always say no to unsolicited calls or emails seeking private information about you. Private information includes your name, address, date of birth, family details, bank account numbers, PIN, passwords."
Similar scams have been operating in Northern Ireland and Great Britain since the UK became the first country in the world to begin rolling out the vaccine.
Both the HSE and the NHS have reminded the public that the Covid-19 vaccination is free, and you will never be charged for accessing the vaccination.
