STORES IN DUBLIN are being targeted by scammers who, in one case, convinced a shop assistant to ask customers for their pin before passing on the information.

Úna Dillon from the Irish Payment Services Organisation told TheJournal.ie that the latest scam relates to card payment terminals (the machine where customers enter their card and pin details), and is being carried out the same group that ran a similar scam last June.

Card payment terminals

It is believed that those involved in the scam first observe the terminals that are used in a particular shop, enabling them to determine who the provider company is.

When they subsequently phone the shop they pretend to work for the card processor that supplies them, which makes their call appear more legitimate.

Typically they say that there has been an issue and then ask the person in the shop to give them the card details (the card number and expiry date information) for all the purchases on a given day.

“One particulars shop was actually asking people what their pin was, which they then passed on,” Dillon said.

“Even without this pin, they could attempt to make purchases online from foreign retailers which they will then sell on for cash.

Preventative measures

“The main message is for shops,” Dillon said. “If someone rings claiming to be a card processor, hang up and ring back using the actual number for the company.”

“As a customer, you should never give anyone your pin, regardless of the circumstances,” she added.

Investigations are currently ongoing in Ireland as well as the UK. Dillon also said that the gang typically target smaller shops, such as pet shops, jewellers and butchers.

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