Alleged fraud in online safety company
Deputy Lawless outlined allegations of fraud, unpaid wages and falsified contracts involving an Irish child-safety company. The Tánaiste declined to comment further because of the apparent Garda investigation.
I want to raise the case of a children's online safety company whose management is accused of defrauding at least 15 victims, across seven different countries, of more than €500,000. This is an Irish company and is based in Limerick. My constituent Aisling Waldron, a dedicated advocate of child safety, was hired to oversee child safety. She is owed over €72,000 in unpaid wages. She was recruited on the back of fabricated user numbers and, indeed, fabricated and falsified contracts from the Vatican Bank and the Portuguese Government. Most seriously, the company was allowed to use the emblem of An Garda Síochána. That endorsement gave the company credibility and that credibility helped to defraud the victims. A number of complaints have been made to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, the Corporate Enforcement Authority, Fiosrú and the Department of justice. Will the Government investigate this? I appreciate that the Tánaiste may not know all the details, but it is a major issue that my constituent Aisling Waldron has been fighting, often alone. I ask the Government to investigate why the Garda logo was allowed to be used. The company is widely reported on in mainstream media as Cybersmarties Limited.
Comment on this
The House rules may somewhat preclude me from over-commenting in relation to matters that may be before An Garda Síochána and a number of other issues as well. I appreciate the Deputy's bona fides and the reasons he raised this matter, but the organisation that carries out investigations in relation to alleged crime in this country is An Garda Síochána. From what the Deputy has told me, it sounds like there is a Garda investigation under way, and I do not think I can comment further in the interests of that investigation.