Mayo TD issues scam warning for families this Christmas

A MAYO TD has called on the public to be extra careful and not to get caught by scammers who may contact them and look for bogus payments over the Christmas period.

The Christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year in which scammers operate as they try to take advantage and exploit people who are shopping online or awaiting deliveries of packages to their homes.

Mayo Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh is calling on people to be extra careful about scam calls and push payment scams as we go through the Christmas period saying that it is estimated that scam calls and text messages cost the economy and society an estimated €300 million per year.

“Over Christmas, when people are making more purchases and getting more delivery, the risks of being scammed increase as most scams are about fake payments or deliveries. That is why I think it is so important for people to take extra care at this time of year.

“Fake adverts on social media sites are another very common way people get scammed. These types of scams have become so common, it is very easy to get scammed and can happen to anyone,” she said.

The Erris-based TD and party spokesperson for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform claimed that the Government has been extremely slow to act to protect people from this form of crime.

“We need the regulator Comreg to force mobile phone operators to block calls from numbers that have not been assigned by ComReg, and we need the creation of an SMS Scam Filter.

“We need fraudulent adverts categorised as online harmful content through the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act – this is legislation that Sinn Féin will bring forward if the Government doesn’t act.

“The Government has no strategy to tackle economic crime and fraud despite it being a key recommendation of the Hamilton Review over two years ago.

“The Department of Justice is frustrating the establishment of a Shared Information Database for banks, gardai and agencies to share the information needed to reduce fraud. Banks are warning that the state risks becoming a destination of choice for fraudsters.

“In the absence of government action, it is important that people take extra care and help advise family members,” she added.