Gardai at the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau have issued a warning to the public over the latest scam to hit the country.
The scam involves members of the public receiving a text message purporting to be from the Health Service Executive (HSE) advising the person to book a Covid test or vaccine appointment through the link provided in the message.
Once the person clicks on the link, they are brought to a cloned website where the fraudsters then seek their personal information.
The scammers will look for information such as the persons PPS number and payment for the Covid test or vaccine.
A garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí would like to again remind the public that the HSE will never look for payment for Covid-19 tests or vaccinations and the public should be wary of such text messages.
“There are also other ‘smishing’ texts being received and these can purport to be from service providers, revenue, banks and/or delivery businesses.
“Some can fit into the threads of previously received genuine texts which adds an air of authenticity to them.”
The gardai’s advice to the public is as follows:
- Never click on a link of an unsolicited text, email or respond to cold callers seeking personal information.
- Do not use reply or call the number supplied by these texts.
- Never give away personal data like PIN number, card numbers, passwords, one time codes, PPS numbers
- The HSE will never text you seeking payment for Covid-19 tests or vaccines
- If you have responded to such a text or paid the scammers, contact your bank immediately for a recall.
- It is also important to report the matter to your local Garda Station.
