Gardaí have issued a warning about a scam that's tricking people into buying iTunes gift cards.
Gardaí in Cork recently received a report of an attempt to defraud a business via email. The 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.
The grift is apparently a new variation on the scam which has previously worked as follows, as described by An Garda Síochána:
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.
Gardaí further warned: "Please remember, If you are NOT purchasing an item from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or an Apple Music membership, do not make a payment with iTunes Gift Cards. There's no other instance in which you'll be asked to make a payment with an iTunes Gift Card."
