Heartless fraudsters target Kilkenny elderly in new Covid scam
Elderly residents in Kilkenny are being targeted in a new Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) scam in which fraudsters try to con vulnerable people into handing over their private bank details.
KilkennyNow.ie has learned of reports over the last few days of elderly people in the South Kilkenny and East Waterford areas who have recieved calls saying a courier is on the way to the elderly resident’s homes with free Health Servies Execuitive (HSE) PPE equipment.
The fraudster then tells the elderly person they must pay €3.95 for the courier’s fee before requesting their private banking details for payments. No courier or equipment ever arrives.
A warning was posted on the Piltown, Owning, Templeorum & Fiddown Community Alert Facebook page overnight urged people to be aware of the scam, as some people in the area had already fallen foul of the fraudsters.
The group said: “A number of elderly people have been contacted with regards to couriers dropping of packages of Covid-19 supplies free from HSE.
“In order to receive their package, they must pay a fee of €3:95 cents. Unfortunately, some have paid this and given all their bank details.
“Please, can you advise people that this is a scam and not to give out their bank details to anyone,” the alert adds.
