Gardaí in Donegal have issued a warning about a text scam plaguing Irish phone numbers and pretending to be from ‘An Post’.
The latest attempt by fraudsters to trick people to share their financial details involves a text message seeking customs fees.
Gardaí explained: “This text requests that you pay a small amount of money in order for your parcel to be dispatched to you. Many of us regularly shop online and this text is sent in the hope that whoever receives it is awaiting a delivery of some sort and because the fee is so low that they will pay it.
“The sole aim of the fraudster is to obtain your debit/credit card details. Be aware that this scam text may appear in a genuine thread of messages.”
Gardaí have asked the public to advise elderly/vulnerable family members and friends in relation to this scam.
“An Post will never send you a message containing links when contacting you about customs charges,” they said.
If you do get a text like the one above:
- Do not respond to unsolicited text messages and do not click on any links contained in them.
- Do not provide any personal/financial details.
- Simply delete the message.