Thousands taken in credit card con - wicklowpeople.ie - 03 Sep 2008

THE BEEHIVE PUB and restaurant has been hit by a credit card scam that Gardaí are linking to a similar operation uncovered in Gorey, and which has resulted in thousands of euro being taken from the cards of unsuspecting victims.

Wicklow Gardaí are investigating the matter which involved the skimming of customers’ credit cards by a fraudster working as a waiter in The Beehive while using a false identity, PPS number and address.

According to a Garda spokesperson, ‘we are talking about thousands of euro missing from Wicklow and Gorey.’ The main suspect worked in The Beehive for a short period of time, claiming to be Italian- Irish. Some sort of skimming device may have been used to store personal credit card details, but the suspect was also taking down people’s PIN numbers as they entered them into the usual machine used, so he could later use the card for illegal transactions.

‘People were handing over their credit cards and allowing them out of their sight. He was keeping note of the PIN number if he’d seen it being entered, and then handing back the wrong credit cards. Mostly people wouldn’t bother checking to make sure it was their card until it was too late,’ added the spokesperson. One customer who used the Beehive said over €700 went missing from his account after a transaction in Morocco. His bank has since reimbursed him with the money.

In July the Kin Khao Thai restaurant on Gorey’s Main Street was also targeted by a fraudster posing as a waiter and claiming to be of Italian-Irish background. Sums of varying amounts of money had been charged to people’s credit cards some time after they paid for a meal in the restaurant. Many of these transactions have also been traced back to Morocco.

There definately seems to be some connection between both cases and a good lot of people were affected overall.

‘Things came to light over a very fast period. The main suspect had gone by the time any incident was reported,’ states the Garda spokesperson.

The Beehive owner, Maurice Byrne, said he was shocked to hear his premises had been targeted as part of the scam and has apologised to any customers who were inconvenienced. ‘It’s a horrible thing to happen,’ he remarked.

Anyone who had data captured after trying to pay for a meal can contact The Beehive and they will be given a free lunch voucher, he added

By Myles BUCHANAN