Elderly cancer sufferer conned out of €1,000

AN elderly woman fighting cancer had almost €1,000 stolen from her credit card by cruel fraudsters who lured her with the promise of a free holiday.

The woman is one of number of people in the Cork area who has received unsolicited phone calls from an American-based company offering 'free' or 'special offer' holiday promotions in the last few days.

The woman was told she had won a cruise to Florida.

Her daughter, who only wished to be known as Jane, said her mother, who only started cancer treatment this week, was asked for her credit card number during the course of the phone call.

"She was asked for her credit card number at 6pm. And by 6.30pm, $1,000 (€940) had been deducted from her account," she said.

Jane said she was aware of least another six people in the area who had also been contacted.

A spokesman for the Director of Consumer Affairs Carmel Foley last night said people should always be wary of offers that seem too good to be true.

Advice issued by her office in May about these holiday offers still stands, the spokesman said, adding that consumers should be aware of the inherent dangers in this type of offer.

"News of a special offer or that you've won a holiday can be very tempting, but unless the company making the offer is 100% reliable, you could be facing serious loss and inconvenience," he said. "Companies now have access to detailed information about us. Consumers contacting this office for advice have received phone calls from holiday companies who know their name and address and they know where they have holidayed in the past.

"This familiarity may suggest that the company is above board, and that they are offering a genuine prize or bargain. There are genuine offers out there, but I would advise consumers to stop and think and not to be pressurised into accepting an offer or revealing financial details before checking the company's legitimacy," the spokesman said.

He added that he was concerned that people tempted to take up these offers might end up disappointed.

"These companies may even take large amounts of money from consumers' accounts without their knowledge or the holiday may not even materialise at all," he said.

He confirmed the office received two complaints about the latest wave of holiday offers one at the end of September and the other on October 10.

He said people should follow their advice and beware.

Ms Foley's office received a large number of complaints last year about a British company involved in free holiday promotions.

Irish people paid administration fees for these holidays but the holidays never materialised.

Further information is available on www.odca.ie.