Donegal gardaí warn businesses following ‘fraudulent transaction’

Donegal gardaí have issued advice to businesses following a reported “fraudulent transaction”. 

A person called a business and requested to buy goods of substantial value, attempting to complete the purchase with a credit card. The transaction initially went through but was then rejected by the card issuer. This caller rang from another country

 A short time later, another person called the business and explained that a fraudulent transaction had been attempted on his wife’s credit card for the same amount, but it had been cancelled. 

The business was not at a loss financially; however, gardaí want to make business owners aware of this type of fraud. 

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“Please advise your staff not to accept payment over the phone from any unknown person, particularly when the goods ordered are of substantial value,” a garda spokesperson said. “We understand that payment is regularly taken over the phone by many businesses and this is acceptable once you are familiar with the buyer and are confident that they are trustworthy but it is important to be cautious when accepting an order and payment over the phone from someone whom you are not familiar with as you cannot use in-person verification and have fewer protections than in-store purchases. 

“Many businesses will employ seasonal staff in the run-up to Christmas. Please ensure that your staff (particularly new staff members) are up to date with the various types of scams that are on the go and encourage them to take a minute and to double-check with other staff members if something does not sit right with them before completing a transaction. Better to be safe than sorry!”