Gardaí in Kildare have issued an urgent warning about a WhatsApp scam asking people to vote for a child named Mia in a competition.
The message encourages recipients to click on a link, but Gardaí are warning people not to open it, as it could put their WhatsApp accounts at risk.
In a post shared on Facebook, An Garda Síochána Kildare said the message may appear to come from someone the recipient knows, but warned that their account could have been hacked.
The scam could allow fraudsters to gain access to a victim's WhatsApp account and potentially target their contacts.
Gardaí have reminded people never to share verification codes, avoid clicking on suspicious links and enable two-step verification.
They urged the public to think before clicking and to share the warning with others.
It comes as another scam targeting Irish bank customers has been reported, with fraudsters pretending to be from AIB.
A Reddit user shared a screenshot of a text message claiming that a transaction worth more than €900 had been paused.
The message asks recipients to reply with a 'Y' if they recognise the transaction. If they do not, they are instructed to call a number with an Irish +353 prefix.
The user noted that the number sending the message was very similar to AIB's genuine Customer Connect number, 0818 724 724.
Other Reddit users warned that replying could confirm to scammers that a phone number is active and that the person is an AIB customer. Calling the number could then expose victims to further attempts to obtain personal information or answers to security questions.
