Fraudster stole €30,000 from friends’ accounts

GARDAÍ have expressed concern at the ease with which a fraudster stole more than €30,000 from more than 20 bank accounts by simply providing them with a date of birth and address.

It emerged yesterday that the fraudster allegedly made withdrawals from the accounts of friends and acquaintances at several banks around the country after pretending to be somebody else.

The man, who is understood to be in his 20s, voluntarily walked into a garda station in Co Cork on Tuesday and told detectives of his spree, which included withdrawals from banks as far apart as Dublin; Ardee, Co Louth; Thomastown, Co Kilkenny; and Bantry, Co Cork.

He would approach a bank teller and say that he had lost his cards and couldn’t remember his account number.

But he would then provide them with a date of birth and an address.

It is believed that he carried out the scam over several months using the same story and on most, if not all occasions, he was given cash without being questioned any further.

“We are concerned at the apparent ease at which he was able to get the money out of other people’s accounts,” a senior garda spokesman said.

The man, who is believed to come from the Fermoy area of Co Cork, targeted accounts belonging to friends and acquaintances who were all male and around his age, to make his story seem plausible.

Getting somebody’s date of birth is simple enough as most people will tell a friend or acquaintance without any difficulty. A simple inquiry about a person’s star sign can usually be followed by asking them exactly when they were born. Getting a person’s address is even easier and it made the scam quite simple to operate.

Gardaí were already aware of the fraud because several complaints had been made by disgruntled account holders.

“We presume the banks will have to reimburse these people their money. There could be more people out there who have been affected by the actions of this individual and if they haven’t reported it they should contact their local garda station,” the garda spokesman said.

The man is understood to have also admitted that he stole two second-hand cars from showrooms in Cork and Dublin.

The Volkswagen Polo and Toyota Avensis have since been recovered.