Garda warning on scammers threatening ‘deportation’

Gardaí in Galway have warned of another telephone scam ‘doing the rounds’ over recent weeks, targeting foreign nationals with deportation threats.

In the scam, the recipient of the phone call is informed that a deportation order has been put in place on them, but that this can be quashed if an amount of cash is paid over.

The caller claims to be from the Garda National Immigration Bureau and seeks to get bank details in order to put in place a cash transfer from the account of the person taking the call.

A Garda spokesperson told the Galway City Tribune that as with nearly all such telephone scams seeking bank or personal details, the caller ‘should not be entertained’ under any circumstances.

She said that no bank or reputable source will ever seek personal bank details over the phone and advised the receiver of the call to hang up straight away and not to answer that number again.

“These type of scams crop up every so often and they operate on the basis of trying to exploit people’s fear or vulnerabilities.

“Never, ever give any personal or financial details to someone over the phone. That is the simple message we have in relation to all of these phone scams.

“Whoever is behind them is just trying to find that one person who will think that the call is genuine. Just hang up immediately is our advice,” said the Garda spokesperson.

She also advised anyone who received these type of calls not to hesitate to contact the Gardai if they had any fears or concerns over such incidents. Galway Gardai can be contacted on 091 538000.