The gardaí are being impersonated by phone thieves to get stolen phones and then try to steal money from the owner’s internet accounts, reports Breaking News.
According to BreakingNews.ie, the gang is taking phones and phoning the devices’ emergency contacts or anybody who has tried to call the phone.
The con artists then claim to be from a Garda station and to have a recovered phone that they thought had been stolen the previous evening, reports Breaking News.
Before requesting the password to verify that the phone is the property of the individual speaking, they insist on speaking with the owner and enquiring about the phone’s brand, model, and appearance.
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The impersonating Garda offers to place the victim on their “sergeant” if they start to suspect them, after which they provide the name of a serving Garda.
The impersonators claim that when they obtain the password for the phone, they will test it on all of the phones they have found and “call back in around 10 minutes” to allow the victim to schedule a pickup at the Garda station in the event that one of the phones does, in fact, belong to them, reports Breaking News.
Instead, the fraudsters instantly disable the phone’s “Find my iPhone” feature and start moving money from the victim’s bank account into their Revolut. They also use the app to ask for money from others they recently gave money to or who sent money to them.
The victims’ phone goes straight to voicemail and a new name is shown when they contact the number of the “Garda” who phoned them, reports Breaking News.
According to BreakingNews.ie, one victim’s Revolut transactions included two Apple Pay transactions at a Dublin petrol station, several money transfers from their bank account and requests for €20 and €50 made to different individuals.
It’s unclear if the con artists are only taking the phones to steal money or whether they also plan to sell the phones once the money is gone, reports Breaking News.
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