Woman ‘loses over €1,200’ in online fine scam

A 45-year-old woman has reported losing €1,219 after falling victim to an online scam, the police said on Wednesday, while also warning people to be wary of possible further scam operations. The woman said she had received a text message regarding an unpaid fine, and clicked a link in that text message, which took her to a website which prompted her to enter her car’s registration details. At this point, she said, a fake document appeared on the page containing information about a fine worth €6.59. She said she then clicked on an option to pay the fine and entered her personal details, as well as her bank details, into the website, though she did not complete the transaction. However, when she later checked her bank account, she found that she had made a payment of €1,219. The police said its investigation into the matter is ongoing, and advised the public that it “never communicates” in this way to call on members of the public to pay fine. Additionally, it called upon the public to “be particularly cautious when receiving messages containing electronic links”. “It is recommended that the public avoid following such electronic links and never provide or enter personal or banking information on unknown websites,” it said, before urging the public to reach out to the police should they have doubts over the veracity of messages they have received.