These scams often target the elderly or those in isolated areas
14:36, 17 Jul 2026Updated 14:40, 17 Jul 2026
Garda station(Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
Gardaí are warning about a new kind of scam doing the rounds here in Cork, in which scammers are conning people into handing over their ATM cards and later draining their accounts.
A number of reports have been made to Gardaí, including several from victims who have unfortunately fallen victim to the scheme. Gardaí have warned that scammers’ tactics are evolving, with this latest fraud scheme going to great lengths to convince victims of its legitimacy.
While we’ve all had someone try to get us to divulge personal or financial details over the phone or text, such schemes are often easy to see through. The main giveaway is that they will go straight into questioning you about your personal information, without seeming to know much about you in the first place.
However, this latest scheme employs a longer con, in which the scammer calls the victim to inform them of a problem with their bank card and explains that it needs to be returned to the issuing bank. The scammers claim to be bank representatives and don’t ask for any personal details over the phone, which prevents the usual alarm bells from ringing.
The major difference with this scam is that not everything is done digitally or over the phone. Once the victim is convinced, the scammer arranges for a ‘courier’ to pick up the card at their home.
In reality, the person calling at the home is part of the scheme, and once they convince the victim to hand over the card and PIN, they rush off to the nearest ATM to withdraw as much as they can. The in-person nature of the scam can lend it a veneer of legitimacy, and these schemes often target vulnerable people or those living in isolated areas.
Gardaí have issued a warning about this latest scheme, urged the public not to engage with these people and asked that any suspected fraud be reported to Gardaí.
Garda James Masters from Cobh Garda Station explained the scam, he said: “It’s something that we’ve seen again recently, unfortunately. We’ve all heard of people ringing up people and trying to get bank details over the phone; this is just a different one.
“The injured party was rang by a so-called ‘bank’, and they stated that there were a few issues with the card, and they unfortunately had to take the card back to the bank.
“They arranged then for a ‘courier’ to call at the house the next day, and they were able to get the PIN and also the card. The next day, they were going to an ATM to take money out of the bank.” he told C103’s Garda File.
“It’s so important not to engage with these people; they’re evolving, they’re changing their tactics. In this case, the person had a phone call; they didn’t ask for details over the phone, they said we’ll send a courier over from the bank tomorrow to collect your card, it was all arranged. The injured party, in this case, trusted them and handed over the card and PIN.”
Reports can be made to Gardaí by phone to any Garda Station or to the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.