How to report a scam in Ireland

The quick version

Forward scam texts to 50100 (free on all Irish networks) so ComReg can investigate and block the sending number. If money or details were given, call your bank immediately. If you've been a victim, report to An Garda Síochána. Everything else below is detail.

Scam texts: forward to 50100

Every Irish mobile network supports the free 50100 short code. Forward the scam text exactly as you received it, and the sending number gets investigated and blocked at network level. It takes ten seconds and genuinely reduces the volume everyone receives. This is the single most useful habit for scam texts, whether or not you fell for it.

If you gave money or details: your bank, immediately

Speed matters more than anything else here. Call your bank or card provider the moment you realise, using the number on the back of your card, and ask them to block the card and attempt recall of any transfer. The sooner a recall is attempted, the better the odds. Then keep records: screenshots of the messages, dates, amounts, reference numbers. You'll need them for the Garda report and any reimbursement claim.

Reporting to the Gardaí

If you've been a victim of fraud, report it at your local Garda station or through garda.ie. Bring your records. Don't be embarrassed: the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau deals with thousands of these cases, targeting people of every age and background, and reports are how patterns get investigated.

The other channels, and when to use them

• ComReg (comreg.ie) for scam calls and suspicious numbers, alongside the 50100 forwarding for texts.
• The CCPC (ccpc.ie) for consumer scams, fake shops and dodgy online sellers.
• The NCSC for phishing emails and malicious websites, particularly anything impersonating Irish government bodies.
• The Central Bank of Ireland (centralbank.ie) for fake investment firms and cloned financial companies. Check their warnings list before investing with anyone.
• The platform itself for scam ads, fake profiles and marketplace fraud: report through the app's own tools too, since that's what takes the content down.

One warning for after you've been scammed

Be extremely wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover your lost money for an upfront fee. "Recovery services" that find you are almost always the same criminals coming back for a second round. Genuine recovery happens through your bank and the Gardaí, and it never requires paying a stranger first.

Common questions