Warning as Cork Resident Targeted by "Highly Sophisticated" Google Phone Scam

A cybersecurity professional in Cork has issued a public warning after being targeted by what they describe as a "highly sophisticated" scam attempt involving fake Google emails and a follow-up phone call.

The individual, who contacted Cork Safety Alerts to share their experience, said they received two emails to their Gmail inbox indicating that someone was attempting to use their email address for password recovery. Shortly afterwards, they received a phone call from a Dublin-based number.

The caller claimed to be a Google employee and stated that the recipient's email account had been compromised. He then asked for information related to their Google Authenticator, the app used for two-factor authentication on Google accounts.

The scam was described as particularly convincing, with the caller acting in an extremely professional manner and the emails appearing to come from legitimate Google Support addresses.

However, when the recipient told the caller they would ring Google Support back using their official, publicly listed number, the caller immediately became evasive and hung up.

The individual, who works in cybersecurity, stressed that the attack was carried out at a very high level of sophistication and urged others to remain vigilant.

How to protect yourself from scams like this:

Google will never call you unsolicited to tell you your account has been compromised. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and contact Google directly through their official support channels. Never share authentication codes, passwords, or verification details over the phone, regardless of how legitimate the caller may sound.

If you believe your Google account has been compromised, visit myaccount.google.com/security to review recent activity and secure your account.