by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
AN unemployed Buncrana man who was sent almost
€3,000 in the post after applying for a ‘flexi-hour’
job now fears that he may have become mixed up in an
international money laundering scam.
The local man contacted the Garda fraud squad this
week after the huge sum was posted to his home from
an address in Germany.
The cheque came with a clear set of instructions.
The man was first asked to lodge €2,960 in his own
bank account in Buncrana. He was then tasked with
sending €2,550 to an account in Johannesburg, South
Africa, and told to keep the remaining €410 for
himself.
If he ‘successfully’ passed his ‘first assignment’
then further cheques would follow, a later email
claimed.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent the man, who
asked not to be named, said he couldn’t believe it
when the cheque arrived after he had shown an
initial interest in the position.
“I saw an advertisement in the paper for a flexi-job
and because I’m out of work I thought I would apply
to see if I could earn some extra money. I sent them
an email asking if they wanted a CV but I got a
reply back to say that they trusted me and that all
I needed to send was my name and address, which I
thought was strange,” he explained.
“I didn’t think much more about it until I received
a cheque in the post made out to me for €2,960.
Initially I was delighted, I couldn’t believe it but
then it quickly dawned on me that it must be a scam.
Who would send you so much money? All they knew
about me was my name and address. I didn’t even
speak to anyone,” he added.
The man took the cheque to his local bank, where
officials confirmed that it is a bona fide document.
He said he suspects a criminal group sent the sum,
in an attempt to launder money via Germany and
Ireland to South Africa. The man did not lodge the
money into his account.
“Follow-up emails over a series of days urged me to
lodge the money into my account and send most of it
to an account in Johannesburg using Western Union
Money Transfer. I haven’t replied to their requests
over the past few days so I hope they get the
message that I don’t want to get involved any
further,” he added.
He warned other unwitting locals to be wary of
lodging a cheque that they suspect to be fraudulent
in their bank accounts as to do so is a criminal
offence.
Gardai are currently investigating the matter and
any other locals caught up in the scam should
contact Buncrana Garda Station on 07493 20540. |
