A farmer in Co. Longford was recently conned out of €5,000 as he was trying to purchase a tractor from a UK trading site, according to Shannonside FM.
It is understood that members of An Garda Siochana are investigating the incident.
The crime prevention officer in the Roscommon-Longford Garda division, Sgt. Paul McDermott, highlighted the incident on Shannonside FM; he also warned people to be cautious when buying goods online and transferring money,
Speaking to the regional radio station, he said: “A Co. Longford man was recently defrauded of €5,000 when attempting to purchase a tractor online from a trading site in the UK.
After agreeing a price online with the owner, he lodged a €5,000 deposit in a foreign bank account – with the balance due on delivery.
“The tractor never arrived and the seller now cannot be located,” he said.
He advised people not to wire or lodge money to an unknown person’s account before they actually see the goods being purchased.
Disqualified driver caught behind the wheel
Meanwhile, a disqualified driver was caught behind the wheel of a tractor by Gardai in Co. Donegal recently.
As revealed in a tweet posted on the An Garda Siochana Twitter page this morning (Friday, June 8), the tractor driver was stopped in Lifford and was subsequently charged for having no insurance and no licence.
A court date is set to be arranged, the tweet added.