People in Birr district being sucked into phishing scams

A WORRYING NUMBER of people in Birr District are being sucked into phishing scams, according to the local Gardaí.
A Garda spokesperson told the Midland Tribune that a significant number of people have been taken in by the criminals engaging in this form of digital crime.
"Over the last few months," he said, "there's been a significant number of people coming into the Garda Station, distressed because money has been illegally taken from their bank accounts.
"The criminals have texted or emailed them and asked them to click on links, and asked for personal details, such as bank account details."
The Guards said they have subsequently made arrests but more often than not it has proven impossible to recover the money.
"We have made arrests and charged them with money laundering," continued the spokesperson, "but sadly it's often not possible to get the stolen money refunded."
He said the scams are sometimes very plausible. The Guards are strongly advising people to never give personal financial information except in person, in the financial institution itself.
They point out that some financial institutions are now contacting their customers by the old-fashioned route of printed letters rather than in a digital format.
Most phishing attacks are sent by email. Scammers try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.