A man lost €11,000 when he booked a holiday to France via a ghost travel agency that disappeared days after he made the payment. It is one of a number of travel-tralted fraud cases quoted by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission as it warns of a surge in online scams as Irish consumers enter the busiest shopping season.
A woman lost €10,000 as she tried to get paid for remote work after a fake advertisement scammed her online. Between last November and this August, multiple victims of online fraud lost up to €20,000. One renter lost €1,800 when a bogus landlord posted a fake rental listing. The fraud traced to a bank account in Malta.
Gráinne Griffin shared: “As the busiest shopping season of the year kicks off, it’s important consumers avoid rushing into online purchases and transactions. For the sake of your finances and your safety, take care when shopping online. Don’t let tactics like time-sensitive offers or countdown clocks pressure you into making a decision you might regret.”
