Another regular customer, Margaret McQuilkin, was shocked by news of the scam.
‘It’s dreadful, you never expect it to happen to you and certainly not to our little Co-Op Shop, which is the lifeblood of the island,”
But while crime is rare on Rathlin Island scams like this are becoming more and more common across Northern Ireland.
PSNI Ch Supt Gerard Pollock, chair of the ScamwiseNI Partnership, said everyone needs to be vigilant.
“Criminals can now access banking and personal data by exploiting communication networks through phones, social media, emails or text messages.
“Anyone can be targeted. Never click on links in text messages or emails from someone you do not know and never reply to suspicious numbers or emails.”
