GARDAI are urging the public to be vigilant against an iTunes scam that is doing the rounds, after one of our northern neighbours was scammed out of more than two grand.
A Galway victim lost €2,200 to the scam, while in counties Wicklow and Tipperary two individuals fell victim to the scam and purchased in excess of €1,000 of vouchers.
In Dublin, one person attempted to purchase €1,000 in iTunes gift cards at a supermarket, before a member of staff became suspicious and contacted Gardaí.
The scam works as follows: The victim will receive a phone call or voicemail from the scammer, claiming to be a representative of an organisation which they claim the victim owes money.
Upon contact with the victim, the scammers will insist immediate payment is required, suggesting the payment needs to be made by purchasing iTunes gift cards from a retailer.
In some of these cases, victims are told they are facing criminal charges.
Once the victim has purchased these cards, the scammers will ask the victim to share the 16-digit code on the back of the card over the phone. The scammers will then use this code to purchase goods online.
Gardaí are advising people to be vigilant and suspicious of any calls or voicemails from people claiming to represent a company or organisation you may be a customer of. The caller may have some information about you, so don’t trust them just because they use your name or other personal information.
No company will request payment via iTunes or any other online vouchers. If you receive a call like this, end the call and contact Gardaí.
