Sep 18, 2023 | TOP STORIES
Jul 10, 2023 | TOP STORIES
A man who allegedly killed his mother’s partner by smashing a sofa on his head will stand trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. Andrew Nash, 43, denies murdering John Ustic, a British national, in Skibbereen, Co Cork, in September 2017.
The court heard that Nash attacked Ustic twice on the same night, first at the house they shared and later outside a pub. He then dragged him back to the house, where he died from his injuries.
The prosecution said that alcohol played a significant role in the events and that Nash had received a phone call from his mother before the first assault. Nash was accompanied by a couple, Thomas Fitchett and Nicola Colgan, who were also present at the scene.
The trial is expected to last two weeks and will hear evidence from witnesses, CCTV footage and forensic experts.
Jun 16, 2023 | TOP STORIES
A recent report by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) reveals the alarming scale of scam texts and calls plaguing Ireland. These heartless fraudsters are siphoning off a staggering €300 million annually, a fact that is sure to horrify readers. The breakdown of this chilling figure is equally unsettling, with €115 million lost to scam SMS texts and an even more sinister €187 million stolen through scam calls. In 2022 alone, the brave citizens of Ireland experienced a mind-boggling 365,000 cases of fraudulent scams, involving a whopping 89 million irritating communications.
The situation becomes even more distressing as over 31 million distressing communications were inflicted upon innocent individuals, while more than 5,000 businesses fell victim to these malevolent schemes. ComReg describes these scams as a blight on society, causing immense financial and economic devastation across all sectors of the nation.
To combat this crisis, ComReg proposes a series of measures including call blocking, protected number lists, an SMS ID protection registry, and a voice firewall to combat spam calls. These actions require legislative changes, and ComReg is working with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to make them a reality.
While these interventions are aimed at halting the scams, ComReg acknowledges the delicate balance between privacy and fraud prevention. They assure the public that the proposed measures are proportionate and seek to address this grave menace. ComReg encourages readers to join the fight against scammers by participating in the consultation process, which is open until July 28th. The cumulative impact of these interventions is estimated to reach an impressive €1.5 billion over the next seven years, providing hope that justice may prevail.
May 4, 2023 | TOP STORIES
In a recent development, a fake version of the WhatsApp app has surfaced, putting users at risk of having their private messages read by strangers. According to WhatsApp, anyone who has downloaded the unofficial clone should check their app immediately to ensure their privacy and security is intact.
The messaging giant issued a stern warning, stating that the counterfeit app could allow unauthorized access to users’ texts or even lead to a ban on their account. The app is a third-party version that violates WhatsApp’s terms of service.
“We don’t support these apps because they put your privacy, security, and safety at risk,” said an official statement from WhatsApp. “If you use them, there’s no guarantee your messages or your data like your location or the files you share will be private and secure.”
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The company also highlighted the potential risk of users’ accounts being banned if they continue to use the cloned version. In addition, the fraudulent app could compromise the privacy and security of users’ location data and shared files.
To ensure that users are not affected by the fake app, WhatsApp recommends checking the official store pages on the App Store and Google Play Store. The official version is expected to have millions of ratings and billions of downloads, making it easy to differentiate between the real and counterfeit apps.
