Gardaí Warn Public To Be Wary Of An iTunes Scam Doing The Rounds

The Gardaí have sent out a warning urging the public to be wary of an email scam which aims to trick the recipient into purchasing iTunes gift cards.

Officers in Cork recently received a report which said that an email was sent by a person claiming to be the manager of the company and requested that a staff member purchase €2,000 of iTunes gift cards and send on the voucher numbers.

Gardaí say this is a new variation on a previous scam that has worked in the past.

A statement reads:

‘The victim will receive a phone call, voicemail or email from the scammer, claiming to be a representative of an organisation, in which they claim the victim owes money. Upon contact with the victim, the scammers will insist immediate payment is required, suggesting the payment needs to be made by purchasing iTunes gift cards from a retailer.

‘In some of these cases, victims are told they are facing criminal charges. Once the victim has purchased these cards, the scammers will ask the victim to share the 16-digit code on the back of the card over the phone. The scammers will then use this code to purchase goods online.

‘Gardaí are advising people to be vigilant and suspicious of any calls, voicemails or emails from people claiming to represent a company, or organisation that you may be a customer or employee of. They may ask you to purchase gift cards or vouchers. The scammer may have some information about you, so don’t trust them just because they use your name or have other personal information.

Stay safe, folks.

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