Public seminar on fraud and cybercrime prevention to be held in Tipperary

Members of the public are invited to attend a fraud and cybercrime prevention seminar  at the Clonmel Park Hotel on February 25.

The event has been organised by Clonmel District Gardai in association with The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau  and will run from 10am to 1pm.

Speaking at Clonmel Garda Station, Superintendent Leahy said: "This is a great opportunity, for not just our local businesses, but for the local people too. With more and more technology being used every day, there is a greater need from fraud prevention. Having the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau give a presentation will give us a real insight into some of the online crime trends and how we can prevent them.”

Some of the topics that will be discussed on the day include invoice re-direct fraud, phishing and romance fraud. 

Invoice re-direct fraud is when a business receives a fraudulent email claiming to be from an existing supplier, advising of new bank details for payment. This has become more and more prevalent throughout the country with losses of up to €500,000 being reported. For a local business this could mean bankruptcy and loss of jobs for the community. Gardaí in Clonmel are currently investigating one such incident where the business lost €80,000.

Phishing involves someone attempting to get your financial details through email, phone or text. This can be done by a person cold calling you and pretending to be from your bank.  Gardaí in Clonmel are currently investigating an incident where a person was defrauded out of almost €50,000 by a person claiming to be from their broadband provider.

Romance fraud involves striking up a relationship with someone online who then gets you to send them money.

Tea will be served from 10am with the seminar beginning at 10.30am.