Louth doctor a victim of phishing scam

A then doctor at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda had almost €20,000 taken from her bank accounts after becoming the victim of a phishing scam, Dundalk Circuit Court heard last week.

The details emerged in the case of a so-called "money mule" Emanuel Dias Dos Santos (27) of Ramparts Green, Drogheda, who allowed his bank account to be used by those behind the fraud between the 10th and 12th of July 2019.

The victim was targeted by an individual purporting to be from Eir’s Broadband Security department, who informed her that her accounts had been hacked, and asked her to download Team Viewer software to her devices.

Bank of Ireland had refunded the injured party €19,705.31, which was lodged into the defendant’s account.

READ NEXT: Motorist caught weaving in and out of traffic at 173kph in Louth

The court heard he had lost his job and a man from Swords who he met online had told him he could earn €500 in cash by opening a new bank account.

They court heard they met once in person at MacBride train station in Drogheda.

The defendant, who had no previous convictions, had obtained a soccer scholarship to Arizona for six months and had been playing for Drogheda Town when he suffered a ligament injury to his knee for which he is awaiting surgery.

In her impact statement, read to the court in her absence, the woman said the scammers had also robbed her of her confidence, self esteem and trust in her judgement and her trust in others.

Judge Dara Hayes imposed a two year suspended sentence for the money laundering offence on condition that within 12 months the defendant pays €5,000 to the Bank of Ireland and warned that failure to do so will lead to the matter being re-entered.