Fraud offences on the rise again in Louth

Fraud offences are on the rise again in Louth according to the latest figures released today by the Central Statistics Office, in its release, Recorded Crime Q2 2024.

98 Fraud, Deception and Related Offences were recorded in the Louth Garda Division in the second quarter of this year (Q2), up from 91 in the first quarter (Q1). Compared to the same period last year, it is an increase from 70 in Q2 of 2023. 

While the total number of offences in the first half of this year (189) is almost the same as the second half of 2023 (187), it represents an increase on the first half of 2023, when 133 offences were recorded in the Louth Garda Division. Since the second half of 2023 there has been an increase in the number of these type of offences recorded in Louth, following a fall up to that point since 2022.

Nationally, the number of recorded crime incidents involving Fraud, Deception & Related offences increased by a fifth (+21% or by 2,153 incidents) in the year to Q2 2024. There has also been significant change in the number of recorded crime incidents of Fraud, Deception & Related offences in the five-year period since 2020.

In 2024, the 12,643 recorded crime incidents was 56% higher than those 8,083 recorded in 2020. In between those years, the number of crime incidents increased to 11,398 in 2021 before reaching a high of 16,308 in 2022. In 2023 the number of incidents fell back to 10,490.