Foreign gang target woman in credit card fraud

Foreign gang target woman in credit card fraud


Westport woman had over €2,000 stolen from her accounts

Anton McNulty

A WESTPORT woman who was the victim of a credit card theft scam says she felt ‘violated’ and ‘hoodwinked’ when over €2,000 was taken from her account.
Judy Tierney from Westport was the latest victim of a credit card scam operated by foreign professional thieves who often fly into the country, steal credit cards and pin numbers from unsuspecting victims and take hundreds of euro from ATM machines.
The scam took place last Tuesday evening when Judy was shopping in Tesco and it is believed to be the first time it has occurred in Westport.
Judy was monitored in the supermarket while paying for her goods with her credit card and when she was putting her bags in her car, a hired car pulled in front of her and a foreign man asked her for directions.
She went over to car and the man, who was well dressed, pulled out a map asking how to get to Kilkenny. When Judy was showing him, another person went into her unlocked car and took her purse from her handbag.
Within half an hour, Judy got a call from the VISA company saying there was €700 taken from her card in the last ten minutes. A debit card with the same pin number was also in her purse and a further €700 was taken from that and an additional $1,000US was withdrawn in Westport Post Office. In total €2,300 was stolen.

‘Very upset’
“I feel very upset about it. I felt I was doing a good deed by giving someone directions but I was totally hoodwinked,” Judy told The Mayo News. “It’s very upsetting to think someone was watching you … you feel violated by this and foolish that you allowed it to happen. I was still standing beside my car when this happened, they were very brazen those fellows.”
In a twist to the story, Judy actually saw the same hired car again parked along The Mall in Westport when she was going into the garda station. The car was open but she could not remove the keys and then ran to the station. Two gardaí accompanied her to the car where they met two foreign men but they were not the same men Judy saw in the supermarket.
When questioned by gardaí they said they were on holiday and left. Gardaí set up an operation to capture the people when they arrived to collect the car but it was abandoned and has since been seized.
Superintendent Joe McKenna of Westport Garda Station said this scam was common in Dublin where people are asked to look at a map for directions and there cards are taken when they are distracted.
The gangs have up to four people in them, with one person watching the victim enter their pin number while the other persons later distracts the victim and take the cards.

CCTV footage
Supt McKenna said they are following a certain line of enquiries regarding the Westport matter and have the men on CCTV and the details they gave to the rental company. He said that while Westport is a tourist town, people should be vigilant and be aware of such scams.
“These people are professional and they are rapid at what they do. They will have your money withdrawn as soon as they get the card. It is the first time I heard it happening in Westport but these people are floating around the country watching people and getting big money off it.
“We have heard of foreign gangs coming into the country and hiring a car when they arrive. They prey on unsuspecting people and the next thing they are gone. If someone has any suspicions, give the gardaí a call. I know Westport is a tourist town and we like to help tourists but people need to be wary of these things,” he explained.
When thinking about the incident, Judy explained that she remembers a foreign man in Tesco who was dressed in a suit and he had a bluetooth device in his ear. She said he must have watched her dial in her pin and describe her appearance to the person who asked for directions.
She said she never heard of this scam before but wants people to be aware of it and not become another victim like her.
“I had to give a statement to the gardaí and fill out forms for the fraud investigation. Hopefully I will get my money back but there is no guarantee. I had not heard of this scam and most of the people I told had not heard of it either. It is a horrible feeling and makes you wary of people.”