Serial fraudster Samantha Cookes arrested in Tralee

Ms Cookes, who has been featured in podcasts including RTÉ's 'The Real Carrie Jade', was arrested as part of an ongoing probe into welfare fraud

Samantha Cookes has been known by a string of aliases, including Carrie Jade Williams. 

Gardaí arrested notorious fraudster, English woman Samantha Cookes, in Tralee, Co Kerry on Friday.

Ms Cookes, who has perpetrated a series of confidence scams using aliases, including Carrie Jade Williams, was arrested as part of an ongoing probe into welfare fraud.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that a woman in her 30s was being held at a Garda station in the south of the country under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

“Investigations are ongoing. No further information is available at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Samantha Cookes, whose aliases have included Lucy Williams and Rebecca Fitzgerald, was featured in RTÉ's 'The Real Carrie Jade' podcast. 

Ms Cookes, whose other aliases include Lucy Williams and Rebecca Fitzgerald, has been the subject of much media attention and a number of high-profile podcasts, including Carrie Jade Does Not Exist, released last November, and RTÉ’s own The Real Carrie Jade.

She has used a variety of scams and identities, including that of writer suffering from an incurable illness.

She was previously convicted in the UK over a pregnancy surrogacy scam, and has been convicted on a number of occasions of fraud charges in Ireland in various counties, including Cork.