Turkish earthquake: Locals speak of their heartbreak

‘It is like death followed them’ – Page 10

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Syrian people with connections to County Roscommon have spoken of their heartbreak following the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria which has claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people in those countries this week.

Syrian woman Sabrina Dourmash, who is living at the refugee centre at the former Abbeyfield Hotel in Ballaghaderreen, lost three family members including her mother following the 7.8 magnitude quake on MondaySpeakingmorning. to RTÉ News, Sabrina said her family were trying to escape their apartment in Aleppo when the building collapsed around them. She had been on a video call with her mother Mahdya just hours be- fore she was killed. Her brother and two of his children survived, but his wife and two-year-old son sadly perished.

Meanwhile, Ghassan Shamet, who fled the war in Syria in 2017 and was among the first refugees to be accommodated at the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre in Ballaghaderreen, travelled to Germany this week to comfort a friend who lost family members in the disaster.

“I flew to Germany on Wednesday morning to be with my friend. His mother and father and two brothers died in Northern Syria. My friend is in shock, he cannot believe this happened”.

Ghassan said the family had fled the fighting in Syria and believed they had finally found sanctuary.

“They were just surviving before they got this house. After 13 years and suffering lots of bad things I can’t believe this happened. It is like death followed them,” he said. More on page 10.

Lottery Prize Scam

I recently received a letter telling me that I have won a prize with the Spanish Lottery. I have been asked to make contact with a particular phone number to receive instructions on how to claim my prize. I have never been to Spain but my son holidayed there a couple of years ago. My son has told me that this is a scam but I am reluctant to ignore a potential lottery win. I would appreciate your advice.

I am afraid that I agree with your son. This is a common enough scam where you will receive contact by letter, phone or social media advising you that you have won a lot of money or a fantastic prize in a competition or lottery that you don’t recall entering, often an international lottery.

You may be asked to pay a fee to allow you claim your prize. You are likely to be told that these fees are required for insurance costs, government taxes, bank fees etc. The scammers make money by continually collecting these fees from you and stalling the payment of your “winnings”.

You may also be asked to provide personal details to prove that you are the correct winner and to give your bank account details so the prize can be sent to you. Scammers will then use these details to try to steal any money you have in your bank account.

It has been known for scammers to send a cheque for part of your winnings, such as a few thousand euro, to trick you into thinking the offer is legitimate. However this cheque will eventually bounce and you will not receive any real payments.

My advice to you would be to simply bin the letter. If you have already provided your bank account details to the scammer, contact your bank immediately.

This column is prepared by Dolores Gacquin, Solicitor. Byrne Carolan Cunningham have offices in Athlone, Moate, Lanesborough and Galway.

A person should always contact their solicitor to obtain legal advice specific to their own situation. The above column contains general information and cannot be relied upon as legal advice. * In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement

Byrne Carolan Cunningham SOLICITORS

Telephone Central Line 090 6478433