An Offaly TD has called for stronger protections for consumers and small businesses after official figures revealed that €179 million in fraudulent payments were recorded by Irish-resident payment service providers during 2025. The figures were provided by the Minister for Finance Simon Harris in response to a parliamentary question submitted by Deputy Nolan.
Deputy Carol Nolan said she decided to raise the issue after attempting to assist an Offaly-based couple who were scammed out of tens of thousands of euro in savings:
“What struck me about this particular case was that these were not naïve or irresponsible people. They were cautious, vigilant and the kind of people who would normally consider themselves alert to scams. Yet they still found themselves the victims of a sophisticated fraud operation,” Deputy Nolan said.
“That should concern everyone because it demonstrates how organised and convincing many of these scams have become. Increasingly, it is not a question of people being careless. Criminals are using highly sophisticated tactics to manipulate and deceive their victims.”
The Offaly Independent Deputy said the official figures expose the growing scale of fraud and scam-related crime affecting people across Ireland: