Look After Yourself / Look After Your Mobile Phone - Gardaí urging people to stay safe over Christmas

This Christmas will see more of us out enjoying the festivities but this also means that the opportunities for criminals and the risk of personal thefts and attacks increases.

Gardaí are urging the public to be ‘Streetwise’ and have plans.

In a campaign launched today Gardai stated:

PLAN your night out: How are you travelling? Have you a designated driver? Use Public Transport; busses, trains and Taxis remain the safest modes of travel. If getting a Taxi use Taxi Check (link here) to verify details. Always double check before getting into the car to make sure it is actually a Taxi. Take a picture of the registration/Taxi number. Do not accept unsolicited offers of lifts.

LET : Someone know where you are going and when you’ll be back, if your plan changes let someone know, send a message.

AVOID : Walking alone and in dark places, always try to stay in the company of friends, it's safer together.

NEVER : Attempt to reason with drunk or aggressive people, walk away and continue to enjoy your night out.

STREETWISE : Avoid getting over intoxicated, be wary of your surroundings, mind your valuables, protect your mobile devices, never hand your device to a strange person, protect your PIN if using your device at cash terminals.

A spokesperson said Gardaí, particularly in Dublin, are aware of a type of crime which is targeting people making their way home at night.

"This crime primarily targets males, out during the night time, who may appear vulnerable as they are on their own or may appear inebriated.

"The thief, through befriending the injured party, or other forms of deception obtains the injured parties mobile phone and also the PIN number for the device. On occasions the injured party is approached by a ‘good citizen’ or may have gotten into a vehicle on the belief that it is a taxi or that the ‘stranger’ or ‘good citizen’ is offering them a lift.

"Once the thief, through deception, has identified the PIN number and stolen the mobile phone they then have access to the phone. This allows them to transfer money from a victim’s bank account to a Revolut account belonging to the criminal. This allows them to withdraw the money at ATMs.

"Mobile phones, through modern apps and online banking, are an electronic wallet carrying details of bank accounts and bank cards. An Garda Síochána advises people to ensure passwords and codes for Apple Pay, Revolut, etc, are all different and completely different to the PIN to access the mobile device.

"Your mobile phone is probably the most expensive item in your possession when you go out socialising!

"Would you hand your wallet, containing your bank cards and the PIN codes to a stranger?"

Gardai are asking people to heed the following advice.

• Always protect your pin codes, when accessing your phone

• Don't let others see you input your pins

• Don't open your phone and hand it over to another person

• Have limits set to what can be transferred

• Don't save pins, etc. on phone - always input them each time