14/08/2019

Warning As NI Firm Scammed Out Of £49k

Local companies are reminded to be vigilant and always protect their bank details after a business in County L'Derry was defrauded out of approximately £49,000 through email interception.

Mandate fraud, the term given to scams which see an organisation fooled into changing a direct debit payment, appears to be on the rise in Northern Ireland. The crime involves fraudsters purporting to be an organisation, such as a supplier, that firms make regular payments to.

According to Scamwiseni, a company in Limavady lost the money when their emails were intercepted. While in contact with a business partner, fake bank account details were provided by scammers when the time came to transfer money, resulting in the unsuspecting firm actually paying the money straight to the fraudsters.

Similar scams seem to be doing the rounds lately, after the PSNI revealed that over £769,000 was lost to mandate fraud just last month.

Members of the public and the business community are urged to adopt the following safety measures:

• Check the email address every time to make sure you're corresponding with the same person.

• When you receive an email with details of a bank account to pay, telephone the other party directly to confirm the details are correct.

• If the person says: "We're having issues with the bank account, please send the money to this new account" be immediately suspicious.



(JG/MH)

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