Gardai issue new warning over iTunes 'gift cards' scam

A new warning has been issued by Gardai over a scam which attempts to trick people into purchasing iTunes gift cards. 

The alert was sent out today (Thursday) after Gardai in Cork received a report about an attempted use of the scam, which would have cost the intended victim €2,000. 

An employee of a company told the guards about receiving an email from a person, purporting to be the company's manager, who asked the employee to purchase €2,000 of iTunes gift cards and send on the voucher numbers. 

"Thankfully the employee contacted their Manager by phone to verify the request, which turned out to be a scam," said the statement from the Garda press office. 

The attempted deception was described as a "new variation" of an iTunes scam that had worked previously. 

The earlier version of the scam involved people receiving phonecalls or emails from people who claim that they are owed money from the person they're contacting. They then demand immediate payment in the form of a purchase of iTunes gift cards from a retailer. 

"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," said the Gardai. 

The warning advises you to be vigilant and suspicious if you receive any calls, voicemails or emails from people claiming to represent a company, or organisation of which you may be a customer or employee. 

"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," said the Garda statement.