FARMERS are being warned to stay vigilant following an increase in social media scams and cold calls .
A rural-based garda said: “People are getting caught out that I wouldn’t think would have got caught out in the past. Farmers are on websites a lot more doing business, trading and dealing with the Department of Agriculture, so they have become familiar enough with the technology.
“But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Many don’t have enough knowledge to spot the dangers.
“It’s very easy to set up a fake account and send out friend requests. If a farmer sees so-called ‘mutual friends’, they fall for that.
“What’s facilitating (the scammers) is the use of mule bank accounts. These are genuine bank accounts bought from students for €50-€100. The account is linked to the fraudster’s social media. The trail is very hard to trace.
“Also, in the past scam calls came from dodgy numbers but now the landline number is catching people out. The simple advice is, if in doubt, count it out.”
One farmer, recently duped by such an online investment incident, and who wished to remain anonymous, urged farmers to be on alert.
“I looked at this guy’s profile, a lot of his friends were farmers… I went to the guards but I was disappointed they didn’t have more power to seize this guy’s account even temporarily. Their hands were completely tied… if it sounds too good to be true, it is.”
A Garda spokesperson said these incidents have been more prevalent during the pandemic — particularly Covid vaccine scams, investment fraud scams and callers impersonating social welfare.
“Scammers may change their stories or methods, but their goal is always the same: they want to access your sensitive information and get their hands on your money. Never give out your information, be it over the phone, text or email.
“We need everyone to spread the word: people of all ages and all walks of life are falling victim to fraud on a daily basis.”
