ALERT: Gardai warn of 'clever but costly' phone scam doing the rounds

Gardaí are warning Irish phone users to "watch out" for a new scam doing the rounds.

They have described the scam as "clever but costly" and involved a missed call from a UK phone number.

A garda spokesperson explained: "You miss a call from a +44 number (UK) and ring back the number, natural, but expensive.

"When you ring back you are automatically connected to a billing service and the connection cost €25 per call. One lady from Kilkenny found this out when she rang the number twice. €50 down. Please be vigilant," they advised.