A 76-year-old woman has reported losing €42,500 after falling victim to a telephone scam, police said on Monday.

According to the police, the woman said she received a phone call earlier in the day from an unknown man speaking English who claimed to be a payments services manager.

Using false claims about the security of her bank account, the caller allegedly convinced her to follow a link sent to her mobile phone via text message.

After opening the link, the victim discovered that €42,500 had been withdrawn from her bank account.

Authorities have repeatedly urged the public to exercise caution when receiving unsolicited calls from unknown individuals, stressing that legitimate organisations do not request banking details, passwords or personal information over the phone or through text messages.

Police also advised people not to open links sent via SMS, messaging applications or email from unknown sources.