NEW RESEARCH ON fraudulent online activity has shown that phishing and hacking incidences are on the rise in Ireland, and occurring more often here than in most other countries.

The number of those surveyed by polling company Red C who say they have experienced phishing has risen from 43% in 2019 to 59% in 2022, the highest level seen globally.

Phishing is a form of crime where attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information such as passwords, or trick them into installing malware such as ransomware.

The Irish public’s experience of financial hacking or fraud is up almost 50% in the past two years, from 15% in 2019 to 22% in 2022.

Gardaí have advised people to ensure passwords and codes for Apple Pay, Revolut, and any other banking apps are all different in order to limit how much money can be accessed by hackers if they fall victim to phishing.

The public has also been advised to set limits on how much money can be transferred via their online banking apps.

Ireland seems to be especially targeted with these criminal activities, the research noted, as the country sits at the top of the global list for phishing and sits fifth out of the global list for hacking/fraudulent use of bank account or credit card.

983 Irish adults were surveyed by Red C in November 2022, as part of an international study which surveyed almost 30,000 people from 36 countries.

The CEO of RedC Research, Richard Colwell, said:

“Rising experiences of fraudulent activity by the Irish public are of significant concern, and the fact that we are near the top globally is not something to be shouting about.

“There is clearly more needed to be done to help people better understand when to share data and when not to, in order to better help build confidence in those working legally in this space.

“Consumers in Ireland also appear to be tiring of the impact technology is having on their lives and not particularly seeing the benefits.”

In the North, the PSNI are currently investigating an impersonation scam operating predominantly in Belfast in which £20,000 has been lost in the last five months.

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wilson said from enquiries so far, police believe these reports may be linked and that a group is targeting people in their 70s and 80s.

“All the reports made to us describe a male with a Northern Irish accent claiming to be a police officer, or working for what was described as ‘The Department of Work and Pensions’ or that they were bank officials,” said Wilson.

“Some have been asked if they keep cash in their homes and, if so, how much and if they live alone. Some callers were threatened with arrest of themselves or their loved ones if they didn’t give the scammer money and were told a courier would come to their home to collect it.”

The survey also found that there was a low level of awareness (28%) about what happens with one’s personal information after sharing with a data collector.