DISCOUNT
GOODS
We hear a warning from the
PSNI about an internet scam which consumers in Northern Ireland
have fallen foul of.
Perhaps you’ve been offered
a cheap mobile phone, or a lap top at an unbelievable price or some
other great value computer product?
Don’t send any money!
Hundreds of people here and across the UK have done so, and are
still waiting for the goods.
Some police forces are urging
the public to beware of conmen who persuade people to pay for cheap
mobile phones, laptops or other computer related goods up front,
then don’t deliver.
The warning follows a spate
of reports from members of the public who have found themselves
out-of-pocket after falling for the scam.
The conmen advertise on the
Internet and in magazines like Exchange and Mart, Friday Ads and
Loot, offering mobile phones, laptops and other computers for sale
at knockdown prices.
When members of the public
call the number listed in the advertisements, they are told that
the goods will be delivered once they pay the money into a given
bank account. Of course, once they pay up, they never receive the
goods they have ordered.
The advertisements use various
designs, company names and telephone numbers but the common denominator
is that the items offered for sale are at greatly discounted prices,
usually half price.
This is a nation-wide scam
with possibly hundreds of victims. The amount each victim has lost
varies between £60 and £4,000.
A trend identified in these
investigations is the use of other peoples' bank accounts to receive
the funds, then quickly removing them.
Members of the public should
be aware that allowing the use of bank accounts for this purpose
may render them liable to prosecution for offences of money laundering
or handling stolen goods.
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