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Warning as fraudsters see HSE hack as opportunity to scam people with calls and texts

HSE CEO Paul Reid said fraudsters are “leveraging off the fear” people have around this hack.

THE PUBLIC HAS been advised to be aware of a number of call and text scams today as fraudsters are taking advantage of the fear around the HSE hack.

The HSE has said other criminals, who are not connected to the HSE ransomware attack, see the hack as an opportunity to try to obtain personal and financial information from people.

Speaking at the HSE’s weekly briefing this afternoon, Dr Anne O’Connor, HSE Chief Operations Officer, said the HSE is aware of calls in different parts of the country and is capturing them to identify whether they relate to a data breach.

“We are hearing about strange calls or strange texts and we are recording those centrally wherever they’re coming from,” she said. Dr O’Connor said if it is determined that they relate to a data breach then it will form part of a criminal investigation.

However the HSE’s CEO Paul Reid said there is “no doubt” that other criminal organisations or fraudsters – who do not actually have access to patient data – are using this as an opportunity, both in Ireland and internationally, to attempt to defraud people.

“The HSE will not be contacting you looking for your PPS number proactively,” Reid said. “If anyone has a suspicion about a phonecall they got purporting to be from the HSE, please do alert gardaí.

Don’t give any confidential information that you have if you have any level of suspicion whatsoever, we’re not in a process right now of proactively contacting patients so most likely it’s not from us. And it is most likely a fraudster attempt.

He said fraudsters are “leveraging off the fear” people have around this hack and potential data breaches and they are contacting people to extract further information.

Separately the Department of Health is also warning people to be aware of scam calls and messages claiming to be from the department. These fraudsters are seeking personal information from the people they contact.

The department said it does not contact people in this way and no one should share their personal information if they are contacted. The public is also advised to let vulnerable family and friends know about these scams.

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    Mute Damian Ryan
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    May 20th 2021, 5:34 PM

    Hope they ring me. .. I’ll ask them for a loan…

    121
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    Mute This time its personable!
    Favourite This time its personable!
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    May 20th 2021, 6:25 PM

    @Damian Ryan: I’d be more shocked that fraudsters were attempting a scam!!! I’d have to spend time questioning them about that if they ring me so they might lose interest!

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    Mute Tommie
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    May 20th 2021, 5:33 PM

    whatever you do, do not pay them using our tax payers money, it is pure shambolic from the start,had you not hired proper security consultants from day one, none of this would have happened. not some Freshers out of college starting out. typical to scrimp and hire Freshers for peanuts.

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    Mute SilexFlint
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    May 20th 2021, 5:39 PM

    @Tommie: “The HSE, for example, is spending more than €1 million on support for outdated machines. The health service has 58,000 Windows devices, and 46,000 are running Windows 7, which means there will be a major upgrade programme in the works.” Jan 13, 2020, Ciara O’Brien, Irish Times.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    May 20th 2021, 6:16 PM

    @Tommie: it doesn’t matter. Every security system can be hacked.

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    Mute Michael
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    May 20th 2021, 6:42 PM

    @Dave O’Keeffe: it is the point,yes every security system can be hacked but to store people’s personal information on systems that Windows don’t even release security updates for anymore is disgraceful and looking for trouble

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    Mute Tommie
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    May 20th 2021, 7:06 PM

    @SilexFlint: exactly this, just Scrooge’s when it comes to other areas of HSE, yet comfortably help themselves to get pay packets which would overtake a department’s budget elsewhere.

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    May 20th 2021, 7:45 PM

    @Michael: Quick question, as you appear to know a lot about the HSE’s IT network. What operating system is the HSE’s central server running under ? I’m assuming that information is not stored on machines with outdated operating systems but is simply inputted or accessed through them ? Is this the case ?

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    Mute Michael
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    May 20th 2021, 8:28 PM

    @Tommy Roche: the central server is irrelevant the ransomware attack could have been caused by something as simple as one of the employees clicking on a link in an email my point is the bare minimum that every computer should have at state level with peoples personal information is computers that at very least have the most upto date security..we know this isn’t the case regardless of whether it’s to blame or not it’s inexcusable

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    Mute Ríain HenC
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    May 20th 2021, 6:52 PM

    Had 2 calls from Tunisian numbers yesterday ! Obviously didn’t answer but it’s clever they come from there , me being from Cork and their international dial code being +216 , if someone wasn’t paying too much attention they could easily answer thinking it’s a local 021 number ! Still thinking all day that I could have missed out on claiming the Tunisian Lotto :(

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    Mute Alexandra Cullen
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    May 20th 2021, 5:54 PM

    Got a txt last night from an 086 no, for a vaccination appointment for my 16yr old son.

    It had his name and age. I rang the Hse and I am still waiting for someone to get back to me.

    So does this mean my details have been hacked?

    Do I go to the Guards?

    35
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    Mute Ciara Ruane
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    May 20th 2021, 6:09 PM

    @Alexandra Cullen: vaccine appointments are being given out by text, so it’s possible, if your son is eligible for a vaccine for whatever reason, especially if not looking for any personal details. However, I think you need to have registered to be given an appointment by text?

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    Mute Alexandra Cullen
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    May 20th 2021, 6:15 PM

    @Ciara Ruane: My son is not eligible and we did not register, the lady on the phone said the number was not HSE, she said she would contact her manager and get back to me and my son wasn’t in the system.

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    Mute Daniel Wilson
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    May 21st 2021, 8:31 AM

    @Alexandra Cullen: sure show up anyway and tell us what happens!

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    Mute Maurice O Neill
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    May 20th 2021, 5:30 PM

    I’d say just pay them and be done with it. It will possibly cost multiples of what they are looking for if it goes on for much longer

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    Mute Fionn Darland
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    May 20th 2021, 5:36 PM

    @Mauricski O Neilski

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    Mute D. Memery
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    May 20th 2021, 5:57 PM

    @Maurice O Neill: what is the point now? The data is already on the dark web, and the servers are being rebuild. What is to be gained by paying?

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    May 20th 2021, 10:38 PM

    @D. Memery: Most people commenting here haven’t a bulls notion what they are talking about – i mean not a notion – it is mostly utter rubbish completely detached from the actual facts around technology and cyber security – a (very ) short version is to think of it like this – the HSE rely on computer systems for day to day operation of our health service and regardless of what ‘data’ may be on the dark web from the recent attack – they probably need to consider the time and cost that will be involved to allow them get back to ‘normal’ – which could be say 6 months – versus paying a ransom that is a fraction of this and could allow services to be restored quickly – when you come to realise there are very few other options available – you realise that the ‘patient data on the dark web’ is in reality quite a separate thing – it’s mostly used for additional leverage /add some pressure / cause further embarrassment to authorities and possibly generate additional money – thinking you can ignore the ransom demand because data is published is nonsense.

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    Mute Maria Quinn
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    May 20th 2021, 5:46 PM

    All the private subcontractors of public services have been already requesting excessive and unnecessary personal data under coercions of stop this or that payment or simply deceiving people without asking for consent and providing accurate information about the consent

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    Mute Monica Alcock
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    May 21st 2021, 12:06 AM

    They can have my data as long as they give me enough Bitcoins

    5
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