Know your rights: How to deal with scams

Know your rights: How to deal with scams

Question: I think I’ve been scammed, can I get my money back?

If you’ve been scammed, you have been tricked into parting with your money.

The scam can come in many forms.  You may be sold fake tickets that don’t exist. You may get a missed call from a scammer and when you phone back you could be paying a premium rate.  You could get a bogus email pretending to be from your bank, trying to trick you into sharing your personal and financial information.

If you suspect you’ve been scammed you should act immediately:

§  Stop all contact with the scammer

§  Do not send any more payments

§  If you paid by credit or debit card, tell your bank or card provider immediately

§  Report the incident to your local Garda station –scamming is a criminal matter

§  Gather any records you have about the scam (emails or other communications)

§  Protect your devices by resetting your passwords and update your anti-virus software

§  Report the incident to consumer protection agencies such as the CPCC, for advice and to help stop other people being caught in the same scam

You may be able to get your money back depending on what happened and how you paid the scammer.

You may get your money back if you:

§  Notice money has been taken from your account without your authorisation, and you contact your bank immediately.  In most circumstances, you bank must refund you for an unauthorised payment.

§  Bought something from a scammer with your debit card, credit card or PayPal. You can ask your bank or credit provider to reverse the transaction through a process known as a chargeback.

It’s unlikely you will get your money back if you:

§  Paid by bank transfer. It can be harder to get money back, but the sooner you contact your bank the better.

§  Paid by money transfer services such as MoneyGram, PayPoint or Western Union.

§  Paid by vouchers or gift card

To protect yourself in future, you should not share your personal information if you don’t know who are dealing with.  Trust your instinct and always ask yourself ‘is it safe?’ 

You can read more about how to protect yourself from scams on citizensinformation.ie.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you can find comprehensive integrated information online at citizensinformation.ie/covid19/ and you can get daily updates on what’s changed on Twitter at @citizensinfo. You can also get information and advice from:

§  The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm

§  Our national call back service: Visit citizensinformation.ie/callback to request a phone call from an information officer

From July, a limited number of appointments are being made in Citizens Information Centres offices where social distancing can be facilitated. You can continue to contact your local centre by email or phone using the details in Find a Centre page on citizensinformation.ie.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by South Connacht Citizens InformationService CLG, which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330 Address: Boyle CIC, Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. RoscommonInformation is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000.

Update 25th July - July Jobs Stimulus

 July Jobs Stimulus

The Government announced a package of supports called the July Jobs Stimulus on 23 July 2020. The key provisions of the package include:

§  The  COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be extended to April 2021 and closed to new applications from 17 September 2020. From 17 September 2020, there will be three rates of payment:

For people who previously earned less than €200 per week	€203
For people who previously earned between €200 and €300 per week	€250
For people who previously earned over €300 per week	€300

You can read more about the social protection and employment support provisions in the press release from DEASP and on gov.ie.

§  A new Employment Wage Support Scheme will succeed the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, and run until April 2021. Employers and new firms in sectors impacted by COVID-19 whose turnover has fallen 30% will get a flat-rate subsidy of up to €203 per week per employee, including seasonal staff and new employees.

§  A range of supports for business were announced. With limited exceptions, the waiver of commercial rates will be extended until the end of September and the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme will provide an 80% guarantee for a wide range of credit products from €10,000 to €1 million up to a maximum term of 6 years. Small and micro companies will be supported through additional resources for MicroFinance Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. This will include measures to reduce interest rates on lending for micro and small businesses, including grants equivalent to 0% interest on the first year of SBCI and MFI loans. The Future Growth Loan Scheme is being expanded.

§  The standard rate of VAT will be reduced from 23% to 21%, effective from the beginning of September for 6 months.

§  A new Stay and Spend Incentive will refund taxpayer spending on accommodation, food and non-alcoholic drinks, between October 2020 and April 2021, through a tax rebate of up to €125.

§  Enhanced levels of support will be made available under the Help to Buy scheme until December 2020.

§  An increased allowable expenditure under the Cycle to Work scheme from €1,000 to €1,500 for ebikes, and €1,250 for other bicycles will be introduced.

You can get full details of the July Jobs Stimulus on gov.ie.

 

 

Know Your Rights has been compiled by South Connacht Citizens Information Service CLG, which provides a free and confidential service to the public.

Tel: 0761 07 6330 Address: Boyle CIC, Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. RoscommonInformation is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000.