Offaly family scammed out of €2,000 by fraudster pretending to be Aer Lingus staff

Independent TD Carol Nolan has urged holiday makers to be extra vigilant after she was contacted by an Offaly family who fell victim to a phone scam from a person claiming to represent Aer Lingus booking staff.

Deputy Nolan said the ongoing industrial action at the airline, that is impacting tens of thousands of customers, is causing massive levels of anxiety and distress. This in turn is leading people to get their hopes up while letting their guard down when they receive calls of this kind, said Deputy Nolan.

“Unfortunately, these fraudsters never miss an opportunity to make a quick bit of cash off the back of ordinary people’s misfortunes. They are despicable, and I am urging all my constituents to be extremely cautious when giving out any personal or bank details over the phone,” said Deputy Nolan.

The family, who do not wish to be named, are understood to be “mortified and ashamed” about their ordeal. They contacted Deputy Nolan’s office in a bid to raise awareness about this latest scam.

“The family I was contacted by had €2,000 cleared from their account, money which they could not afford. They then had to book another flight at double the cost of the initial flight because they had an important family event to attend,” said Deputy Nolan.

“These are not what you might term vulnerable people, such as older people unfamiliar with the phenomenon of scamming. However, in this instance they were highly stressed, they let their guard down, and they were roped in by the apparent authenticity of the call.

“As I understand it their bank is trying to assist with the fraud but whatever happens it has thrown a really dark cloud over what should have been a joyous time for them.

“It is highly likely that this same scam artist tried to contact other people within the constituency. Never give any personal or bank details to anyone that you do not know or completely trust,” said Deputy Nolan.