Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government is committed to taking measures to combat and prevent fraud and cybercrime. As we know, this is a crime that is on the increase. The more technology we use, the more likely we are to be susceptible to it. The close co-operation across government on this issue, and between An Garda Síochána and the National Cyber Security Centre, is key in this regard.

We are committed to ensuring the Garda has the resources it needs to fight crime. This is why €2.35 billion was allocated to the Garda last year, a 25% increase since 2020. This will allow the strengthening of the work of specialist units within An Garda Síochána, such as the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau.

Online fraud, as we know, can be devastating in terms of the impact it has, but it can also cause great mental stress for those affected. Garda authorities have advised that around €237 million has been reported stolen in cyber-enabled frauds in the period 2020 to 2023. The global cost of cybercrime is estimated to be $6 trillion per annum. I urge anyone conducting sensitive or personal business online or over the phone to be very cautious when providing personal or banking information. This has been the biggest challenge in recent years.

If it has not happened to us, we all know people who have been victims of online fraud. I called to someone very close to me several years ago who had just spoken to someone on the phone who they thought was calling from Bank of Ireland, but they were not. This person had provided information. We very quickly found out that the callers were trying to take money from this person's account. This was somebody who perhaps would not have used technology and would have been very trusting. This is what people are preying on. Many of the financial institutions do have excellent advice for customers on how to be safe online, but we need to continue to raise awareness.

This is why we have European cyber security month. This event saw a joint initiative between the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau and the National Cyber Security Centre, which included a media launch last September at Iveagh House and a strong series of public and corporate events on the joint themes of phishing and ransomware attacks in particular. Every year when we have this awareness raising, the focus is placed on different areas of cybercrime. The communications saw a series of radio adverts, weekly social media postings on the platforms of both agencies, and media advertisements on the risks posed by cyberattacks and the prevention needs to stay safe online, with a particular emphasis on #ThinkB4UClick.

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