TWO women, one in her eighties from Abbeyfeale and another woman in her sixties from Pallasgreen, were both victims of fraud in the past week.
This comes as a Garda crime prevention specialist says we all have to keep each other informed that banks do not ask for sensitive details over the phone.
Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Ber Leech of Henry Street Garda Station explained: “Both cases are very similar, as both women believed that they were speaking to somebody from their banks.
“They were led through a series of questions and, in the end, they realised that money had been withdrawn from their accounts.
“One woman lost over €800 and the other woman lost over €4,000.
“I think we should all have a conversation with our friends and family about this. I am concerned that all the advice now sounds like white noise and that people may not be cautious enough.
“We cannot assume that everybody has heard the advice from financial institutions or gardaí about never sharing your bank account number or pin number with anybody.
“Your bank will never ask you for these details so it is probably a criminal, be suspicious, hang up and ring your bank back yourself,” Sergeant Leech reiterated.
