Police are urging the public to be on their guard when booking holiday accommodation after a number of victims reported they’d been duped by a Facebook Marketplace holiday accommodation scam centred on a property in Donegal.
The scam is one which was first highlighted on Highland Radio’s Nine til Noon Show eight weeks ago.
The scam, which first came to light in May of this year, involves the fraudulent use of images of genuine holiday accommodation in Donegal.
To date, the PSNI say they’ve received 20 reports, but it’s believed others may have fallen victim to this scam.
The criminals, using a number of different names, have placed adverts on a Facebook Marketplace for a holiday home that victims believe they have secured with deposits of between £100 to £500.
Once the victim has transferred the funds, the scammer blocks them on social media, preventing any further communication.
Police say they are also aware of a similar-type scam operating online with four reports made in relation to bogus holiday accommodation in Portrush.
Police are encouraging anyone who believes they’ve fallen victim to either of these scams, and have not reported it, to do so now.
