In a short notice published yesterday, the Department confirmed the correspondence “was not sent by this Department” and urged members of the public who are “unsure of the authenticity of any correspondence they receive purporting to be from the Department of Justice” to contact them.

The Department did not give any further description of the content of the letters, but The Irish Times reports that some were received by Ukrainian refugees and told them they faced extradition to fight on the frontlines against Russia.

The notice continues: “Scams are common. They can happen at any time. Some of the most common types of scams involve the use of fake emails, calls or texts pretending to be from real companies and organisations. We urge people to be extremely cautious and to not engage or share any personal information.

“October marks Cyber Awareness Month in which a number of campaigns supported by government take place to highlight the importance of cyber security education and current trends in all forms cyber fraud, phishing messages and misinformation.”