US barcode scam could be repeated here using internet

BARCODE software that allowed an Irish couple to run a million-dollar scam in the US can be downloaded by anyone from the internet.

But the authority that regulates barcodes in Ireland warned anyone tempted to repeat the racket here would face retailers using increasingly sophisticated methods to beat fraud.

Anthony Davenport, aged 59, his girlfriend Linda Broderick, aged 50, both named by the US Justice Department as Irish nationals, and their partner in crime, John Patrick Hay, aged 58, believed to be from Scotland, are awaiting sentencing in California after admitting running the scam.