Councillor warns people of scammers targeting Donegal

Sinn Féin Councillor Gary Doherty has warned against bogus telephone and email scammers who are targeting people in Donegal.

These so-called ‘phishing’ schemes aim to garner sensitive personal information from victims including debit card and bank account details.

Cllr Doherty says he has received a number of phone calls and emails in the last few days from concerned constituents and he has even been targeted himself.

Cllr Gary Doherty

Cllr Doherty said “just this morning I received a call from a gentleman claiming to be working for Netflix. He claimed that my account had been hacked and that in order to secure my details I was to follow the instructions he would give to me. He then attempted to take me to a website which would allow him remote access to my laptop and personal details.

“I have also been contacted in the last few days by people who have received calls from individuals claiming to be from companies such as Microsoft and Eircom again claiming that their account had been hacked.

“There are also emails doing the rounds claiming to be from Irish Water asking ‘customers’ to click on a link to verify their account.

“These companies do not contact customers in this way. If you are in receipt of an email such as this do not click on any links, as they can be extremely harmful and can allow these unscrupulous individuals to access your personal details including bank and credit card details.”