Kiltimagh woman lost €5,600 in online scam, court told

A Waterford man needed money for Rag Week when he was alleged to have allowed his bank account to be used by fraudsters who targeted a Mayo woman.

Pierce McCarthy, of John’s Lane, Waterford, appeared before a sitting of Ballina District Court.

The court was told that on February 14, 2022, it was reported to Gardaí that a Kiltimagh woman had been scammed out of €5,600.

On February 2, 2022, the woman was contacted by a person claiming to be from Amazon. They requested her to do download an app. She did so but deleted it when she became suspicious.

She was later contacted by PTSB who informed the woman that €5,600 had been removed from her bank account. The lady was refunded by the bank.

The court heard that investigations linked the transfer of the money to a Revolut account held by the accused. It is alleged that he allowed this account to be used by other parties.

McCarthy had been approached by a classmate at the then Waterford Institute of Technology who offered him €200 for the use of the account. The court was told that Rag Week was approaching and McCarthy needed the cash.

Judge Sandra Murphy accepted jurisdiction in the case.

The matter was adjourned until March 24 for a plea or a hearing date.

• Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme.