{"id":754,"date":"2017-02-01T15:21:52","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T15:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/?page_id=754"},"modified":"2025-09-26T15:45:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:45:24","slug":"scams-what-to-watch-out-for","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/money\/scams\/scams-what-to-watch-out-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Scams &#8211; what to watch out for"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>How scams work<\/h3>\n<p>A scam is a dishonest scheme or plan designed to con you out of your money. It will target your bank account, card details, PIN number or other sensitive information.<\/p>\n<p>So much of our lives are online nowadays and scammers often use technology to target and catch you off guard. They are becoming very clever in how they use social media and technology like AI, and it can be very hard to spot what\u2019s genuine and what&#8217;s not.<\/p>\n<p>There are certain red flags to watch out for that could mean it&#8217;s a scam:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>someone you don\u2019t know contacts you out of the blue asking you to confirm or give your personal and financial details<\/li>\n<li>you\u2019re being pressurised to act quickly before it\u2019s too late<\/li>\n<li>a tempting opportunity is offered to claim a prize or make money<\/li>\n<li>you get an email, or text message asking you to click on a link or attachment<\/li>\n<li>you\u2019re asked to transfer money in an unusual way or open a new account<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"toptip\">\n<h3>Top Tip<\/h3>\n<p>Scammers pretend to be from organisations or companies you trust. Trusted organisations do not normally contact you asking for your personal or financial details. If this happens you should hang up and call the organisation back on a number you know to be genuine.<\/p>\n<h3><\/div><\/h3>\n<h3>Golden rules<\/h3>\n<h5><strong>Stop<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Do not give out your personal information or details if you\u2019re unsure who you\u2019re talking to. Scammers will pretend to be from organisations or companies you know and trust. For example, banks, revenue, the HSE or energy providers. Whenever you see a message calling for immediate action, pause and look carefully at the message.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><strong>Think<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Ask yourself, could this contact be fake? Has your bank or energy provider contacted you like this before? If something sounds too good to be true it usually is. Don\u2019t ever click on any online link or attachment you\u2019re uneasy about. Trust your instinct &#8211; if you feel uneasy about something, check first.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Check<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>If you\u2019ve received a verbal or written communication you\u2019re uneasy about, contact your bank or the organisation the person contacting to you claims to be from. Only use an official phone number or email address you trust and have verified independently. For example, you can call your bank by using the number on the back of your bank card or on your bank statement and check directly with them.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;font-size: 1em\">If you get caught out by a scam<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;font-size: 1em\">If you believe that you\u2019ve been scammed, contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately. Ask them if you can get the payment reversed through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/shopping\/disputed-card-transactions-chargeback\/\">chargeback<\/a>. They can advise you and place your account on hold. Your card may need to be cancelled until it is checked out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;font-size: 1em\">You should also report it locally to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.garda.ie\/en\/contact-us\/station-directory\/\">the Garda\u00ed<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A scam is a scheme designed to con you out of your money or your personal details such as your bank account details, PIN numbers or internet banking login details. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"parent":933,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[8,62],"class_list":["post-754","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-money","tag-scams"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>What to watch out for - CCPC<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are many ways that you can fall victim to a scam or fraud. 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