People falling victim to telephone scams ‘on a daily basis’ – Garda

Gardaí have issued another warning on automated phone calls from criminals seeking PPS numbers, saying people continue to fall victim to these scams “on a daily basis”.

Gardaí said they have received reports from people across the country relating to automated scam phone calls.

In typical cases the recipient is called and advised via a recorded message that the Garda is investigating them in relation to suspicious activity linked to their PPS number. In order to rectify the situation the recipient is then advised to press a number to speak to someone further in relation to the matter. These scam calls are mainly coming from numbers with the 087 prefix.

Gardai advise people not to engage with the caller, not to return the call, not to follow the instructions or press any digits, never to disclose any personal or financial information, and to hang up and block the number if possible.

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Gardaí said while approaches may vary, the goal of the scammers is always the same: “they want to access your sensitive information and get their hands on your money.”

Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to this scam is advised to contact their financial institution and report the matter to local Gardaí.