An isolated island in the UK almost lost its only shop, but luckily it was saved.

The small island of Rathlin, located off the coast of Northern Ireland, is known for its peaceful and isolated atmosphere. Crime is virtually non-existent here, but even this quiet community was not immune to the dangers of cyber fraud. In fact, the island's only shop, run by a community group, became the target of a £12,000 online scam.

Being the only inhabited island off the coast of Northern Ireland, Rathlin is truly a unique place. With just one shop to serve the entire population, the residents of this rugged landscape rely heavily on it for their basic needs. However, this "isolated" island almost lost its lifeline to a "common" type of scam. Criminals used a phishing email to gain access to the Co-Op Shop's banking information, putting the island's residents at risk of having to travel to the mainland for their everyday supplies.

For an island that is not accustomed to crime, this was a shocking and alarming situation. In fact, Rathlin's isolation is so extreme that Irish, or Gaeilge, was still the common language among its residents well into the 20th century. Even today, a third of the population can speak it and approximately 7% use it on a weekly basis. With just 140 people living on this six-mile long and one-mile wide island, there are more species of birds (176 to be exact) than there are people.

Home to Northern Ireland's largest seabird colony, Rathlin's cliffs are a perfect spot for these birds to nest and raise their young. Puffins, Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Fulmars, and Corncrakes are just some of the species you can spot here. And if you're lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of seals basking in the sea. These beautiful creatures are frequent visitors to the waters around Rathlin.

But this peaceful and idyllic place almost had its "lifeblood" taken away by a "common type of scam". The Co-Op Shop was left with nothing in its account after being targeted by fraudsters. According to Ruari Morgan, the chair of the community cooperative that runs the shop, they were in real danger of having to close down without the stolen funds. It was a crisis that took five weeks and over 40 hours on the phone to resolve.

So, what exactly is a phishing scam? According to the National Cyber Security Centre, it involves tricking victims into visiting a website that downloads viruses to their computer or steals personal information. These scams are on the rise in the UK, with fraud cases increasing by 18% in 2023 and costing a staggering £2.3 billion. As PSNI Chief Superintendent Gerard Pollock, chair of the ScamwiseNI Partnership, warns, anyone can be targeted. He advises people to never click on suspicious links or reply to unknown numbers or emails.

For an island where employment is mainly seasonal, the consequences of losing their only shop could have been dire. Not only would it have affected the community's ability to access basic supplies, but it would also have taken away their "focal point" where people gather and catch up on the latest gossip. It could have even forced some residents to leave the island for good, as the nearest shop is a six-mile ferry ride away on the mainland.

For Aoife Molloy, a shop staff member, the thought of losing her job and having to leave Rathlin was a scary one. She considers herself lucky to have a year-round job on the island, and leaving would break her heart. Fortunately, after BBC News NI got involved and contacted the Co-operative Bank, the stolen funds were returned 37 days later. The bank reassured customers that they have strong security measures in place and advised them to remain vigilant against fraud.

While getting the money back was a huge relief, it also caused some accounting difficulties for Ruairi. He had been using his own account to keep the shop running, and now they needed to balance the books. To prevent any future cyber attacks, they have purchased a new laptop that will only be used for taxes and payroll, with no web browsing or email access. The people of Rathlin can now breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that their community shop is safe and secure once again.

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