Fraudsters targeting Mayo farmers with ‘purchase scams’
A warning has been issued to the Mayo farming community to be on alert for fraudsters targeting them online with fake farm machinery sales.
Fraudsters are directly targeting the sector with pop-up social media ads, leading to bogus machinery websites.
Fraudsters are highly skilled at creating fake websites that appear genuine and persuade customers to share their payment information or make a payment.
Many scams are centred around vehicles like tractors, bailers, plough or seed drills, while others create websites to look like well-known companies.
The purchaser is often lured by the false promise of a reduced price or bargain and asked to pay directly, sending money from their bank account to another via bank transfer.
Once the payment is transferred, the seller usually cuts all contact, and the product or service doesn’t arrive.
Nicola Sadlier, head of fraud, Bank of Ireland, said: “Financial crime is a persistent and growing problem in our society, and no individual or type of business is safe from being targeted by fraudsters.
"One recent example of a purchase scam among the farming community involved a customer who found machinery on a website that looked similar to a popular online marketplace.
"They transferred €10,000 directly to the seller to secure the sale, but once the funds were sent the seller blocked the customer and no goods were ever received.”
“Fraudsters are directly targeting businesses daily, finding new ways to target specific business types.
"We are urging the farming and agrifood community to be vigilant around the risk fraud poses to their business, including through purchase scams, payment redirection fraud or cyberattacks.
"Practical advice on how to safeguard their livelihoods against the threat of fraud is available on Bank of Ireland’s security zone.”
Bank of Ireland’s advice to customers when making a purchase for their farm or business:
* Research and read trusted reviews to check the site and the seller are genuine.
* Beware of pop-up ads on your social media feed (fraudsters can pay to have their ads appear there).
* Go directly to the online shopping site by typing the web address into your web browser.
* Always view large purchases in person prior to making full payment for them.
* Links in unsolicited emails or on social media are not always safe and should be avoided.
*Try and pay by debit or credit card, as this could give you additional protection such as chargeback claims