Police encourage pharmacies to be on the look out for fraudsters
Police are issuing a warning to local businesses to be extra vigilant following reports of a Nigerian scam targeting pharmacies.
Police have recently received a report from a Northside pharmacy following a phone order transaction they conducted which eventually turned out to be a scam.
The pharmacy took the call from wished to place a phone order for a quantity of blood pressure kits totalling approximately $3000. The foreign sounding man provided credit card details for payment and asked the goods be shipped to a Nigerian address. After the goods were processed the pharmacy received an alert from the bank advising the credit cards used in the transaction had been compromised and used fraudulently.
Police have received word that several other pharmacies across Brisbane have been targeted with the same scam.
Detective Superintendent Brian Hay of the Fraud and Corporate Crime Group urged all businesses not just pharmacies to be cautious of this latest scam.
“This scam could quite easily be used on any number of businesses not just pharmacies. I urge everyone to be extremely cautious when taking phone orders for large amounts. Businesses especially those who have been affected by the floods will be extremely vulnerable right now and unfortunately this would be a golden opportunity for an overseas scammer” he said.
Police urge businesses to follow their normal procedures but speak with their bank if they have concerns about security measures.
For more information on fraud prevention visit the Queensland Police Service website at www.police.qld.gov.au
