Limerick businesses warned about online discount scam

LIMERICK gardaí are warning people and businesses to be vigilant against a new nationwide discount scam. 

The scam advertises vouchers, payments of bills and a huge number of items at heavily discounted prices on social media. 

The interested person contacts the scammer via Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp and they are asked to pay half the value of the item. 

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The scammer then contacts the company and pays for the items, but using a cloned or stolen debit or credit card. 

Fast food restaurants, oil providers, construction companies and tourist accommodation have all been victims of the scam. 

As payment is made through a merchant service, the business often doesn’t discover they have been scammed until a chargeback happens – when the person who lost the money disputes the transaction and looks for a refund. 

The chargeback will void the transaction and withdraw the funds previously deposited, sending the funds back to the scammer’s card.