Gardaí in Tipperary are warning the public about scam text messages seeking money – even if it looks like it is from a family member. Garda advice is to ignore such messages and to delete them from your phone.
A local woman received a text message purporting to be from her son using a friend’s phone as his own was “smashed” and the friend’s phone “was running low on battery charge.”
The message asked the woman to message back on a new WhatsApp number.
The message was polite and said “please” and signed off with a kiss as her son usually did.
The woman responded and the exchange continued with the criminal seeking €8,212.14 for personal use and provided an IBAN and BIC for the transfer.
The woman was in the Credit Union arranging to send the money when her son actually called to reveal that he had not sought any money from his mother.
The woman feels shaken by the incident but is grateful that she did not lose any money.
