Garda warning over fraudulent purchase order scam

Gardai have warned businesses of a fraudulent purchase order scam which has recently targeted companies.
The scam seeks to obtain equipment from suppliers without paying for them using false email addresses.

The scammers email companies requesting quotations for specific items of medical or IT equipment, often in large quantities and of high value.
When the quotation is provided a purchase order that resembles an authentic purchase order is emailed to the supplier. The delivery address provided is usually not connected to the company.

After the supplier ships the items it never receives payment and is unable to retrieve the shipped products.
Gardai have given advice in how to identify the fraudulent orders. These include incorrect domain names on emails, such as name.com even though most Irish companies use the name.ie domain.

Aswell as that the delivery address will differ from the purchasing company's address. Fraudulent addresses are typically a domestic address or a self-storage facility, and not near the company's real address.
The emails are written poorly with spelling and grammatical errors, unusually high quantities are ordered and there is a request for the items to have priority for shipping.

Gardai advise companies who receive suspicious requests for quotations to contact the company to check if the order is legitimate. They also suggest businesses should forward suspicious emails to the company that has made the order and to contact the Gardai.