Farmers warned after £22k digger stolen in online scam

Farmers and machinery buyers are being urged to carry out checks before purchasing used equipment after a Volvo mini digger worth around £22,000 was stolen in a sophisticated online scam.

The 2.5-tonne Volvo ECR25D mini excavator has been registered as stolen with The Equipment Register, known as TER.

TER, Europe’s largest database of stolen plant and equipment, said the case highlighted the growing use of online marketplaces by criminals targeting farm machinery and plant equipment.

The digger had been advertised for sale on DoneDeal.ie, one of Ireland’s major online classified marketplaces.

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

TER said the fraudsters used stolen company details from a legitimate organisation based in Northern Ireland, along with anonymous online communication and false bank transfer confirmation.

The Volvo excavator was then transported over the border from Ireland to County Armagh.

It was delivered to a fraudster at a location in the Newry area.

Within less than two hours, both the digger and the fraudster had disappeared.

Mr Redmond later discovered that the bank transfer confirmation documents were fake and that no payment had been received.

TER said offenders are increasingly using fake profiles, disposable contact details and falsified payment confirmations to move stolen machinery quickly while reducing the risk of detection.

The organisation warned that online marketplaces had become attractive platforms for criminals looking to trade stolen plant, farm machinery and other equipment.

Mr Redmond said: “At the time everything appeared legitimate and professional.”

He said the business believed full payment had been made and that the bank transfer confirmation gave no reason to suspect the transaction was a scam until the machine had already disappeared.

Mr Redmond added: “I hope that by speaking publicly about what happened we can help prevent someone else from going through the same experience.”

Gareth Barkwill, head of recoveries at TER, said the case showed the changing tactics being used by organised criminals.

He said: “This fraud case demonstrates the evolving methods being used by organised criminals targeting the plant and farm machinery market.”

Mr Barkwill said fraudsters were becoming increasingly sophisticated in the way they impersonate legitimate companies and create convincing proof-of-payment documents.

He warned that the stolen machine was likely to be offered for sale again.

Mr Barkwill said: “We have no doubt that the digger will resurface for sale, which is why it is essential for buyers to check any pre-owned machinery against our database to check it’s not stolen.”

The case also underlines the importance of confirming payments directly with a bank, verifying company identities independently and being cautious of pressure to move machinery quickly.

TER said it had posted an alert about the stolen Volvo digger on social media, which had received more than 25,000 views in less than a week.

The excavator has now been added to TER’s database.

This means it should be flagged if checked by a member of the public, a prospective buyer, an auction house, a port officer or law enforcement.

The machine will remain registered on the database until it is recovered.

TER is urging anyone purchasing pre-owned plant machinery, farm machinery or other equipment to check its history before buying.

The organisation said checking equipment history before purchase could help stop stolen machinery being sold on.