Incidents of Donegal people falling for both text and online scams are still rife, according to local Gardai.
Letterkenny-based Garda Grainne Doherty said she had examined the number of complaints of such scam attempts in recent weeks locally.
And although Garda Doherty did not reveal an exact figure, she said cases were coming up regularly.
As well as phone and text scams, attempts to access banks through social media was also common.
She appealed to people “Just don’t take a chance and don’t reply to any messages you are suspicious or unsure of.
“If you don’t know a number then leave it and if it’s urgent the person will contact you directly and you can make a decision then.”
Garda Doherty highlighted a recent ‘Grandparent scam’ which has targeted a lot of people in the county.
The victim receives a text message claiming to be from a grandparent and saying they have lost their phone.
They claim they need money urgently and plead for the grandparent not to reveal the contents of the texts to anybody else.
Garda Doherty said this is just the latest scam they have come across but there are many locally.
She also appealed to people to keep an eye on their bank balance and report any suspicious activity on it.
She said scammers will take a small amount at first and could soon take a large amount if they are not stopped.
