A fraud warning has been issued after the theft of a Volvo digger worth €25,000 in what has been described as a "sophisticated online scam".

The digger had been advertised for sale on an online classified marketplace, a popular platform for the sale of farm machinery and plant equipment.

It was allegedly stolen last month after Wexford-based businessman, Declan Redmond of Redmond Machinery & Motors, was targeted by fraudsters. 

The sophisticated fraud allegedly used stolen company details from a legitimate organisation based in Northern Ireland, false bank transfer confirmation, and anonymous online communication.

Volvo digger

The Volvo ECR25D mini excavator was reportedly transported over the border from Ireland to Co. Armagh where it was delivered to the alleged fraudster at a location in the Newry area. 

In less than two hours, both the 'buyer' and the digger had disappeared, and Declan Redmond said he had received no payment as the bank transfer confirmation documentation turned out to be fake.

Redmond said that at the time, everything appeared legitimate and professional. 

"We believed that full payment had been made and the bank transfer confirmation gave us no reason to suspect the transaction was a scam until the machine had already disappeared," he said.

"I hope that by speaking publicly about what happened we can help prevent someone else from going through the same experience."

'Increasingly sophisticated'

The 2.5t Volvo mini digger has been registered as stolen with The Equipment Register (TER), Europe’s largest database of stolen plant and equipment.

Gareth Barkwill, head of recoveries at TER, said this fraud case demonstrates the "evolving methods being used by organised criminals targeting the plant and farm machinery market". 

"Fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they impersonate legitimate companies and create convincing proof of payment documentation," Barkwill said.

The excavator is now registered on the TER database, which means that "it will be flagged up in the event that it is checked with us".

This could be either by a member of the public, a prospective buyer, an auction house, a port officer or a member of law enforcement.

Barkwill said it will "remain on our database until it is hopefully recovered".

'Growing trend'

The public is being warned about the growing trend of criminals and fraudsters exploiting online forums to remain anonymous while targeting machinery and plant sellers with increasingly sophisticated scams. 

Offenders frequently use fake online profiles, disposable contact details and falsified payment confirmations to move stolen machinery quickly while minimising the risk of detection, TER said.

If anyone has information regarding this machine, they are urged to contact TER or the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) immediately.