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News - scam alert
Hi, recently I've received a number of
email scams.
Normally email scams are easy to
spot, but these ones are quite sneaky. How it works is this:
You receive a mail requesting a
course of treatments for a football team, VIP client or similar.
The company will offer you a bank draft, also known as a
cashiers check in the US.
This bank draft is always for an
amount much larger than the charge for the treatments. They will
ask you to refund the difference after you have lodged the
draft.
Your bank will lodge the draft and
you then send the refund to the client. After about 10 days or
two weeks your bank advises you that the draft is forged or
stolen. By this stage the scammer has your money and has either
disappear or never appeared in the first place.
How do you spot them?
Well, be suspicious of any unusual
email, especially if the tone or language strikes you as
strange. Don't accept bank drafts from unknown clients. Verify
their story, for example, where they are staying and so on.
If you are suspicious, don't reply
to an email. Forward details to An Garda Siochana.
Conor Pope in the Irish Times
produces an excellent column called Price Watch that includes
details of different scams and other consumer interest articles.
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