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14th Dec 2017

Beware of a new phone scam doing the rounds this week which is taking people’s credit

Rory Cashin

smartphone

Always be wary of unknown numbers.

You might recall a month or so back, when we reported on the ‘Comoros’ phone scam, when folks were getting cold-called from a random number from a tiny island off the coast of Africa.

It looks like we’re getting another one of those today, as a new number has been calling folk randomly.

At least three people here in the JOE office in Dublin have already been called by the number, although none actually answered the call.

The call, from the number +33891060952, appears to originate in France, and some folk online are already reporting that they took the call and noticed that their credit had been zapped away.

https://twitter.com/KateMcLoughney/status/941325645694623744

Following on from the advice of previous scam callers, Ireland’s communications regulator ComReg have warned that these could be scam calls and that people should be vigilant when answering or ringing back unknown numbers.

ComReg advises taking the following precautions:

• Avoid answering calls from numbers that you cannot identify, especially if you are not expecting a call.
• Hang up immediately, on calls where there appears to be no recipient on the other end.
• Be wary of multiple calls being received from the same number.
• Do not call back any number that leaves you a blank voicemail message.
• Do not provide any personal information for example – banking details/PPS number/credit card details/name and address/passport number etc.

Consumers can contact ComReg on [email protected] or by calling 01 804 9668 or if you need more information, you can visit the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) website.

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