A new Censuswide survey conducted in January 2025 shows 82% of Irish people believe scams have become more sophisticated and harder to identify over the past year. The study, commissioned by Wise, surveyed 2,000 adults.
Key findings show men lost nearly twice as much to scams (€2,168.73) compared to women (€1,151.22) and were less likely to admit being scammed to family members. 77% of respondents reported increased scam attempts in the previous year.
According to The Journal, the survey highlights gaps in preventive measures, with only 25% setting up fraud alerts with financial providers and 10% using identity theft monitoring services. Nearly all respondents (98%) support teaching scam awareness to children, with 46% advocating for its inclusion in school curricula.
Gardaí recently warned of sophisticated text message scams appearing within legitimate message threads. They advise against clicking links, sharing personal data, or calling numbers provided in texts. Victims should immediately change passwords, contact their bank, and report incidents to authorities.