Gardaí are currently warning members of the public and frequent iTunes users to be mindful of a scam tricking them into purchasing iTunes gift cards.
Recently there have been an increasing number of people falling victim to the scam with two patrons in Wicklow and Tipperary being scammed in excess of €1,000.
Meanwhile, another patron in County Galway was the victim of the scam to a sum of €2,200.
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 immediately.
