Scam Alert: Fraudulent Purchase Orders activity, Tuesday, 21 March

Scam Alert: Fraudulent Purchase Orders activity, Tuesday, 21 March

Tue, 21 March 23

What is happening:

Please be aware of a Purchase Order scam targeting existing and potential suppliers of University College Dublin using fake University email addresses.

How the scam works: A supplier receives an email requesting a quotation for specific items of equipment, often in large quantities and of high value. Once the quotation is provided, a purchase order resembling an authentic University Purchase Order is emailed to the supplier requesting delivery to an address not affiliated to the University. After shipping the item(s), the supplier never receives payment and is unable to get the goods back.

How to identify a fraudulent invoice email:

• The sender is not using a valid UCD email address. A valid UCD email address will always end in @ucd.ie. Please verify that the sender and reply email is a valid University email address.
• The fake Purchase Order may impersonate a senior member of university staff such as the President, Head of School, Chief Finance Officer, etc.
• The delivery address is not a valid UCD location/address.
• The email may be poorly written with grammatical errors.
• There is an urgency to ship the goods.

What to do if you receive a suspicious Purchase Order:

• Do not reply to the email or contact the sender using the contact details in the email as these may be fake.
• Contact a member of the IT security team.
• Report fraudulent emails as phishing/abusive with your email service provider. 
• If unsure, please contact a member of UCD’s Purchasing team to verify the details. (https://www.ucd.ie/finance/financeoperations/contact/operationalpurchasingunit/)
• If you have been scammed, report the incident to your Garda Station.