Eamonn McCann issues warning after two friends scammed

Eamonn McCann, who is a former Foyle MLA and People Before Profit (PBP) councillor, said two of his friends fell victim to the elaborate hoax

An email scammer impersonating veteran campaigner Eamonn McCann has conned two of his friends out of a total of £500.

Mr McCann, who is a former Foyle MLA and People Before Profit (PBP) councillor, said two of his friends fell victim to the elaborate hoax.

He told BBC's Evening Extra that the scammer had managed to get his details and use them to trick the two victims.

"When I found out I was embarrassed, I also felt guilty for some reason even though I did nothing wrong," he said.

Mr McCann said he has found the whole ordeal "a very uncomfortable experience" and warned others to be alert to scams.

The scammer, who was impersonating Mr McCann through his email, asked some of his contacts for "a small favour".

The scam involved asking the person to put a sum of money on a gift card and then getting the unsuspecting person to take a picture of the back of the gift card with the pin revealed and send it to them.

Who is Eamonn McCann?

Eamonn McCann pictured speaking at an event in the Bogside area of Derry in April 1969

Mr McCann was a leading figure in the civil rights campaign of the 1960s and early 1970s and is well known for his involvement with the trade union movements, especially in his home city of Londonderry.

He first stood for election in the Stormont general election of 1969, losing to a young John Hume.

After standing unsuccessfully for more than five decades, he was eventually elected in March 2016 at the age of 73 to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a People Before Profit politician.

He lost his seat the following year - the result of a snap election.

In 2019, he was elected to serve on Derry City and Strabane District Council in the Moor district electoral area.

In March last year Mr McCann announced he was resigning from the council after being diagnosed with the neurological condition ataxia.

"At least two of my friends were caught up in this," Mr McCann said on Wednesday.

"One coughed up £300 and another coughed up £200 believing that they were helping me out."

Mr McCann said he was shocked when he learned that the scammers managed to get access to his details and pull off such a convincing hoax.

"I'm surprised that I was caught in this, I would regard myself as a fairly sophisticated person who wouldn't fall for what would be an obvious scam.

"I didn't give anyone my banking details or any details for that matter, but whoever was behind this was able to get a close approximation of my email address."

Previously the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have warned of an increase in scams circulating online and have warned the public, particularly older people, to remain vigilant.

Advice relating to scams can be found on the ScamWiseNI and Action Fraud website.