By Cathal Ryan

Copyright irishmirror

Gardaí and the PSNI have arrested two people as part of a cross-border investigation into around 75 incidents of fraud related to the agri-business sector. The frauds occur whereby the victim company agrees to sell items such as farm machinery, mini diggers, quad bikes etc to a ‘buyer’, who usually claims to represent a business in the same sector. Supposed proof of payment is then made to the seller by way of a screenshot of a subsequently cancelled – or entirely faked – card payment or bank transfer. With card payments, it is mostly cloned cards that are used. A delivery driver is then engaged by the ‘buyer’ to collect the goods. Often, the driver will be contacted en route and asked to deliver to a different address than the one originally provided. By the time the victim business realises that no money has arrived into their account, the ‘buyer’ has received the goods and is now uncontactable, leaving the seller out of pocket. Two people have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigations and some items have been recovered including a forklift, a quadbike and a dumper truck. Members of the JATF on Rural Crime met in Dungannon, Tyrone last week. PSNI Superintendent Peter Stevenson said the frauds perpetrated are complex and have resulted in a number of local firms, particularly those in border areas, losing out on considerable sums. “In some of these incidents, we have also seen examples of occasions when buyers have provided a VAT reference for their supposed business, which when checked by the seller often comes back to the legitimate firm or individual the buyer claimed to represent. “These were subsequently found to be basically inactive businesses which still had an active VAT number. These firms were completely unaware their details were being used in this way and were not involved in the fraud. Companies with dormant businesses may wish to consider deregistering to avoid their details being unwittingly used by fraudsters to facilitate their crimes.” Gardaí are appealing to all businesses and in particular those in the agri-business sector to remain vigilant to customers wishing to pay for substantial goods over the phone, particularly if they are not familiar with the person. You can contact your local Garda station, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here .