Warning of fraud thefts of lubricants

A number of lubricant suppliers have suffered recently as a result of a theft scam. Four different lubricant sales businesses that we are aware of (possibly more) have had similar losses and a fifth only avoided it by the credit card failing to work.

All the fraudulent sales have been for a similar type of product. Here are the similarities:

A call comes into the office looking for prices. They claim to be from a new garage. They give a company name and address. But this address turns out to be for a vacant premises.

In each instance the fraudsters want four barrels of 504/507 5w30 engine oil. They were very specific in the grade of oil they wanted.

The fraudster’s customer never queried the price – accepting the price as was given in each case. One victim told us that the whole interaction “seemed too easy, for lack of a better description”.

When they were then told that they needed to make the payment for the barrels beforehand, they agreed to ring the office with credit card details and say that they would collect that same day.

They then rang the office, paid with a sterling master card and came in very quickly after to collect.

Arriving in a plain white van, they parked in an obscure place such as behind trucks so it was not possible to see the vehicle registration on CCTV. This would indicate that the premises has been well cased prior to the collection visit.

In each instance they came to the front counter, wearing a baseball cap, signing paperwork and going around to collect the goods.

We are told that the main contact “did have an accent but hard to pinpoint from where” and it was a different person who rang in each case to the one who collected.

One source told us: “In at least one case, the fraudsters actually did call back again for another four barrels, but when he was told that we would need him to enter in his pin details at the counter, as we could no longer take over the phone, he said he would come back to us, but never did.”

Warning that this scam isn’t confined to lubricants
Please pass the word to help this happening anywhere else. And remember we have seen this scam before with garage equipment. So it can be for any product that can be collected.

If it is too good to be true, it often is. Taking credit card details and pin numbers over the phone from strangers who then want to collect goods isn’t a good idea. Be aware, and heed this warning. If you have any suspicions of similar fraud attempts, call the Gardai or the PSNI.