Irish properties searched in international probe into PPE scam

The criminals are believed to have defrauded companies in at least 20 countries out of approximately €1m

The gang used a sophisticated scheme involving compromised emails and advance-payment fraud to sell protective materials like face masks 

A gang using an online scam to sell Covid-19 protective equipment has been uncovered by authorities in Ireland, Romania and the Netherlands.

The fraud was run by an organised crime group which, prior to the pandemic, was already illegally offering other fictitious products for sale online, such as wooden pellets.