The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has urged students to be cautious of potential scams, after an international student was contacted by someone impersonating a worker from the Indian embassy in Dublin.
Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union Education Officer Megan O’Connor informed class representatives of the scam yesterday.
The scammer, who appeared to be calling from an Irish landline number, told the student that they had filled out their immigration papers incorrectly upon arrival at Dublin Airport. The scammer had access to the student’s personal information including their address, date of birth and email. The student was asked to go to a certain Western Union branch in their area to pay to rectify the issue.
The student in question informed Western Union and did not lose any money.
While this appears to be an isolated case, USI is asking students to remain vigilant.
Speaking to The University Times , USI President Lorna Fitzpatrick said: “The general advice is for everyone to remain cautious of any calls they get claiming to be from any organisation or agency or state department.”
She continued: “Scammers can be very advanced in terms of calling from what look like landline numbers or may have some information that would make them seem legitimate, so it is important to check and verify that they are who they say they are and the best way to do that is to take their name and tell them that you’ll call them back.”
“If they are from any organisation or agency or government department or embassy, all of those details will be available online.”
“The unfortunate reality is that these scams are happening and we can see that at the moment with the HSE – it’s happening across the board,” she added.
Regarding the incident, Fitzpatrick said that “all the relevant people have been contacted”. The Gardaí, the embassy and the student’s college have all been informed.
On Twitter yesterday, USI also issued a further warning to students about potential scams: “If you think you have been a victim of fraud or your bank account has been used or compromised you should report the matter immediately to your bank or financial institution.”
