Cork Gardaí warn about dramatic increase in ‘smishing’ scams
Don’t get caught out.
A post shared by the Garda Síochána – Cork, Kerry, Limerick – Southern Region Facebook page noted “an increase in fraudulent ‘smishing’ texts being received by members of the public in recent weeks.
‘There has been a 61% increase in smishing/vishing offences in the first 10 days of 2022, in comparison with the same period in 2021.”
The below screenshot, shared also by the Gardaí, shows a text purporting to be from Permanent TSB, accompanied by a relatively sophisticated-looking URL.
In order to avoid being caught out by such scams, it is important to bear in mind that most banks (including Permanent TSB) will never send a text message containing a link.
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has also issued the following advice:
