Ireland Longford man charged over alleged €5,000 text scam
An injured party lost almost €5,000 in an alleged text scam after clicking a link in a text message that looked like a Credit Union link, and a genuine Credit Union text then said €4,988 had been removed from their account. Gardaí received a complaint on February 9, 2023, and allege the money was sent to an account registered to Paul Idahor, aged 20, who has an address in Longford. Idahor was arrested on November 3, 2023, made no admissions and was charged with involvement in the alleged scam. He appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens in April 2024, when the judge said she could not decide on jurisdiction until she had more information on the state's allegation of his role, and the case was put back to June 18, 2024.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court19 Apr
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- An injured party lost almost €5,000 in an alleged text scam.
- A genuine Credit Union text then said €4,988 had been removed from the injured party's account.
- Cause
- The injured party received a text message with what looked like a Credit Union link and clicked it.
- When
- Gardaí received a complaint on February 9, 2023.
- Where
- The complaint came from an injured party in Ennis, Co Clare, but the article does not say where the scam was carried out.
- The case was heard at Longford District Court.
- Investigation
- Gardaí found the money had been sent to an account registered to the accused.
- Gardaí found irregular transactions in the accused's Post Office account between February 9 and February 12, 2023.
- Other details
- The accused, Paul Idahor, aged 20, was arrested on November 3, 2023, and made no admissions.
- Charges
- The accused was charged with involvement in the alleged €5,000 text scam.
- In court
- The accused appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens in April 2024.
- The judge said she could not decide on jurisdiction until she had more information on the state's allegation of the accused's role.
- The case was put back to June 18, 2024, to allow Gardaí to gather the requested information.
11 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA man was involved in an alleged text scam that left the injured party almost €5,000 out of pocket. (longfordleader.ie)
- whatThe injured party received a text message with what looked like a Credit Union link. (longfordleader.ie)
- whatAfter the link was clicked, a genuine Credit Union text said €4,988 had been removed from the account. (longfordleader.ie)
- whenGardaí received a complaint on February 9, 2023. (longfordleader.ie)
- investigationGardaí found the money had been sent to an account registered to the accused. (longfordleader.ie)
- investigationGardaí found irregular transactions in the accused's Post Office account between February 9 and February 12, 2023. (longfordleader.ie)
- chargeThe accused was charged with involvement in the €5,000 text scam. (longfordleader.ie)
- courtThe accused, aged 20, appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens. (longfordleader.ie)
- courtThe judge said she could not decide on jurisdiction until she had more information on the state's allegation of the accused's role. (longfordleader.ie)
- courtThe case was put back to June 18, 2024, to allow Gardaí to gather the requested information. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe accused was arrested on November 3, 2023, and made no admissions. (longfordleader.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 19 Apr2024Longford man charged with involvement in €5,000 text scam
First report of this case. It names the accused, sets out the alleged text-scam mechanics and the Garda investigation, and records the adjournment to June 2024 while the judge considers jurisdiction. The complaint came from Ennis, which is in Co Clare, but the article does not say where the scam was carried out, so the county is taken from the Longford court.
accused, Paul Idahor, 20, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Paul Idahor