If you shop using online marketplaces, the advice is to be wary about sending money if you haven’t met the seller or seen the product.
A man from Maghera saw a digger advertised for sale on an online marketplace and decided to make a purchase.
He corresponded with the seller several times, then sent him the cost of £5,500 for the digger. After he sent the money, he emailed the seller again to arrange delivery, but was ignored. Since then he hasn’t been able to contact the seller.
Scamwise NI says scammers are using this tactic and they’re asking people to be wary.
This latest incident comes as police recently revealed that over half a million pounds was lost by individuals and businesses due to email scams during July in Northern Ireland.
Reports to police in recent weeks include losses from £20,000 to over £400,000 using a variety of scams.
And in June, a woman from Northern Ireland was swindled out of more than £300,000 in an online romance scam, according to police.
For further advice and information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.