GARDAÍ HAVE WARNED people to remain vigilant after a number of people have fallen victim to a scam tricking them into purchasing iTunes gift cards.

In recent weeks, a number of people have fallen victim to this scam. In counties Wicklow and Tipperary two people purchased in excess of €1,000 worth of vouchers.

In Galway, another person was scammed out of €2,200. 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 like this:

The victim will receive a phone call or voicemail from the scammer, claiming to be a representative of an organisation to 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 were 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 have told people – particularly older people – to remain vigilant and suspicious of any calls or voicemails from people claiming to represent a company or organisation they 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,” a spokesperson said.

Read: Garda who suffered PTSD after he was attacked by four men awarded €15,000 in compensation

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