ALERT: Online shoppers warned as Bank of Ireland says purchase scams on the rise

Bank of Ireland is warning consumers about a new wave of purchase scams that are luring people to make payments for goods and services through an advertisement online, which then transpires to be fake.

The bank said that in the last year, there has been a 32 per cent increase in purchase scams reported to them.

The bank said consumers are often lured by the false promise of reduced price, and asked to pay directly, sending money from their bank account to another via bank transfer, which provides little protection.

Once the payment is transferred, the seller usually cuts all contact, and the product or service never arrives.

Bank of Ireland said that consumers should research and read reviews to check the site and the seller are genuine, while consumers are also urged to be aware of poor grammar and spelling, or vague product descriptions.

The bank advises people to go directly to the online shopping site by typing the web address into a web browser, adding that links in unsolicited emails or on social media are not always safe and should be avoided.

Consumers are urged to use secure payment methods, and should try and pay by debit or credit card, or the secure payment method recommended by reputable online retailers and auction sites, as this give more protection.

They are also urged to never agree to buying vouchers or other items for someone as a way to pay for something else, while large purchases should also be viewed in person before making full payment for them.

Nicola Sadlier, head of fraud at Bank of Ireland, said: "Fraudulent advertisements online and on social media have been the subject of regular warnings for some time.

"This alarming trend is not going away, even with increased awareness among the general public, and repeated calls for websites and search engines to remove the adverts. These fake ads should be caught before they are published online, but many are not.

"It’s unacceptable to see fraudsters operating so openly through online advertisements. No company should be generating advertising revenue from criminals – search engines, websites and social media platforms really need to step up and crack down.

"Our advice to consumers is don’t click on these adverts, ignore them completely, and if something sounds too good to be true, it’s probably fraud."