Gardai warns public shoppers to beware of Black Friday scams – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Gardai warns public shoppers to beware of Black Friday scams




Gardaí warn people not to be scammed by cybercriminals on Black Friday and Cyber ​​​​Monday.

The call comes as up to €26 million is expected to be spent on purchases in upcoming Black Friday sales.

New data also shows that more than 45 million euros were stolen through fraud and scams in the second half of last year.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Lordan, from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, said people should be wary of online scams.

“We are warning all shoppers thinking of shopping online – even if they do it regularly – to be aware of the risk they are taking on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and on the run-up to Christmas. There are a lot of criminals out there setting up fake websites, setting up fake ads on social media, so you need to be aware of that and you need to be very alert to it. Don’t hand over your money to the first person you see on social media hoping that the product will be delivered,” he said, reports RTE.

A new report shows that scammers stole almost 45 million euros from people in the second half of last year.

The data, published by FraudSMART, the fraud awareness initiative led by the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), indicates an increase of 37% over the previous year.

The report also shows that fraud with debit and credit cards (including ATMs) reached 14.5 million euros, an increase of 18.5%, the highest levels since 2017.

Most of the increase was due to online card fraud or “card not present” in which a scammer uses a victim’s compromised card details to make an online purchase.

Payment card fraud at the “point of sale” or in-store also returned to pre-Covid levels last year, as most retail outlets reopened and most health restrictions were lifted. public.

Head of Financial Crime with BPFI Niamh Davenport said card fraud is going back to pre-pandemic levels.

“It is at the highest levels it has been since 2017. We are going back to pre-pandemic levels and a lot of that is driven by pre-pandemic shopping. With Black Friday happening and the run-up to Christmas we are urging customers to take care. With all the restrictions lifted we are seeing fraud levels return to pre-Covid levels. Today’s fraud figures are a stark reminder that consumers need to be on high alert during what is the busiest online shopping period of the year. We know that fraudsters are continuously updating and adapting their tactics and tools. As well as scam texts, phone calls and emails, scammers have developed a range of techniques to convince online users to disclose key personal or financial information. While banks are using a range of measures such as encryption and continuous fraud monitoring to protect their customers and ensure every day payments can be made securely, fraudsters are increasingly targeting businesses and consumers directly, so it is important for us all to know how to protect ourselves,” Ms Davenport said, reports RTE.

According to RTE, Ms. Davenport added: “With a jump of almost 46% in debit card fraud losses alone, we are calling on all consumers to pause for thought before parting with their money or information and familiarise themselves with some of the very straight forward steps they can take to protect themselves.”

Irish shoppers are estimated to spend €26m on Black Friday this week, with 33% less expected for Cyber ​​Monday.

AIB’s director of SME banking John Brennan said the bank’s finances forecast 18,000 euros a minute will be spent on Black Friday based on last year’s figures.

Last year, the bank had planned 25,000 euros per minute, but in the end it was 18,000 euros.

He said the expected reduction is due to post-pandemic changes in shopping habits.

AIB data shows that apparel ranks first in consumer spending on Black Friday, followed by electronics, groceries, department stores and hardware.

Det Chf Superpt Lordan said people should contact their gardai and local bank if they suspect they have been scammed.

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