Gardaí have warned shoppers to take extra care when paying for goods following the arrest of three people earlier this week over the theft and use of debit and credit cards.
The three were charged on Tuesday in relation to do-called "shoulder surfing" incidents.
These incidents typically involve an individual closely observing shoppers and noting down their PIN numbers when they are paying for goods. Shoppers are then usually approached outside of shops where they are distracted while an accomplish steals their cards which are then used to purchase goods elsewhere.
A man (45) and woman (38) were arrested at Dublin airport on Monday in connection with the theft and use of credit and debit cards as they were about to leave the country for Amsterdam. They appeared at Blanchardstown District Court yesterday where they were remanded in custody pending a further appearance in court later this month.
In a follow-up investigation, a man was arrested in Tallaght and later charged and released on bail to appear at Tallaght District Court on Monday next. All three are Romanian nationals.
Gardaí said there has been a marked increase in cases involving 'shoulder surfing' in recent months with most incidents involving thefts from women's handbags.
One Laser card stolen in Co Leitrim, went unnoticed by the victims for a number of days allowing the criminals to spend €40,000 on the card countrywide. A total of 130 fraudulent transactions were recorded on that card during a four-day period.
Gardaí said that in this particular case, 84 pieces of CCTV images in which the card was used around the country have been secured.
The Garda Fraud Bureau advises shoppers to try to cover keypads when keying in PIN number and to abort transactions if they feel someone is watching their actions.
Separately, the Irish Payment Services Organisation (Ipso) has warned consumers that victims may not have any redress if they are victims of shoulder surfing crimes.
Una Dillion, head of card services at Ipso told the Irish Timesthat such incidents are viewed differently to related crimes such as skimming of cards.
"In cases of shoulder surfing, people could be seen to have been negligent in giving away both their PIN number and allowing their card to then be stolen,” she said.
“Banks are aware of this particular crime and have updated fraud monitoring systems to record unusual transactions but it is possible that customers could lose out as banks are likely to consider such incidents on an individual basis.
“The bottom line for customers is to remember that their PIN is essentially the key to their accounts so should be safely guarded.
A recently published guide on fraud prevention, which has been produced by Ipso in collaboration with Irish Banking Federation (IBF), An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), is available from Garda stations, banks and post offices.
