A new report from the Irish Internet Hotline found financial scams rose by 52 per cent in a year, with fraudsters impersonating organisations including Revenue, An Post and Irish banks.

The hotline received 591 reports of suspected financial scams in 2024, including fake loan websites that gathered PPS numbers, identity documents and upfront “processing fees” before disappearing.

Businesses also reported their company details had been “stolen” to create convincing fraudulent websites, while some consumers said fake retail sites made unauthorised additional charges to their bank accounts.

The IIH received 61,317 reports overall last year – the highest number in its 26-year history. More than 80 per cent related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with officials warning such content is increasingly being hidden behind paywalls and closed-access platforms.

The report also recorded a 325 per cent increase in computer-generated CSAM and revealed that reported losses from investment scams promoted through social media and messaging apps reached “tens of thousands of euros”.

IIH chief executive Mick Moran said the figures represented “real people, real harm and real outcomes”.