Scam watch — active fraud patterns
Scam-watch tracks active fraud patterns targeting people in Ireland. Every entry is sourced to An Garda Síochána, FraudSMART, the Department of Social Protection, Revenue or another primary authority. We add new entries as patterns emerge and update existing ones as the tactics evolve.
Currently active patterns
"Revenue tax refund" phishing
Long-running pattern. SMS or email claiming you're due a tax refund; link goes to a fake login page that captures Revenue credentials or card details. Garda-documented. Active for years; spikes every January-February.
"Undelivered package" smishing
SMS claiming a delivery failed and asking for a small "redelivery fee". FraudSMART-confirmed current. Targets every demographic; particularly effective during gift seasons.
MyGovID impersonation
Email or SMS impersonating MyGovID asking you to "verify" or "reactivate" your account by clicking a link. Garda-documented. The official MyGovID never sends such links.
"Garda speeding fine" text
SMS claiming to be from An Garda Síochána about an unpaid Fixed Charge Notice, with a payment link. Garda- and FraudSMART-warned. The rule: genuine fines come by post, never by text.
How we publish
- Each entry includes what the scam looks like, how to recognise it, what to do if you've responded, and where to report.
- Every entry links to the underlying Garda, FraudSMART or government primary source.
- Entries are dated and updated when the pattern changes — the date at the top of each page is the last meaningful update.
- We do not publish individual victim stories without explicit consent and anonymisation.
Submit a scam you've seen
If you've received a scam text, email or call we haven't documented yet, please send the details to tips@myid.ie. Forward suspicious SMS to 7726 (the national "SPAM" reporting short code) before deleting it. Suspicious emails impersonating a state body: forward to reportphishing@garda.ie.
Where to report fraud
- An Garda Síochána — your local station, or report online via garda.ie. You'll get a PULSE incident number for any subsequent insurance or bank claim.
- Your bank or card provider — call the number on the back of the card directly, not from any email/text.
- FraudSMART — Banking & Payments Federation Ireland's national scam-alert service at fraudsmart.ie.
- SMS to 7726 — for suspicious texts.
- reportphishing@garda.ie — for phishing impersonating a state body.