An Irish mum has issued a warning after she was scammed on Facebook when trying to book a holiday home in Donegal.
Catriona Morgan lost £250 (€317) when putting a deposit down on a holiday home on Facebook’s Marketplace, reports Belfast Live.
The schoolteacher thought the family had found a “good deal” when she booked a stay in Donegal for July 2-9 after stumbling across an advertisement for a home with a hot tub online.
Read More: ‘Disgusting’ racist slurs graffitied along beautiful Dublin beach
The Derry native was hoping for a “much-needed family break” after her brother, sister-in-law and their children moved to Derry from Australia.
The supposed owner, who is continuing to sell the same property online, has yet to be formally identified.
He told Catriona that it was his parent’s home and that they could not use the home this summer after his father had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment.
Catriona said everything seemed “real” until April 1 when her husband had noticed a Facebook post.
She said: “I thought my husband was joking initially because it was April Fools Day but that’s when he alerted me to someone who had found themselves in a similar situation that didn’t add up.
“I recognised that it was his name that was on the listing on Facebook and that’s when I knew it was a scam.
“I was devastated because it was the first time that my parents were going to see all of their grandchildren together.
“And what is scary about all of this now is…
