In Spain this week the police hosted an operation that has disbanded a gang of credit card fraudsters, but what you ask might this have to do with Ireland? It actually has a lot to do with Ireland and the UK. The gang is suspected of distributing the clone credit cards they have in Spain throughout Ireland and the UK. The operation by the police was hosted in Marina Baixa.
The Guardia officers have arrested seven Romanian nationals in Benidorm, Altea, and La Vila Joiisa after they raided the villas in the area looking for the suspects. The police search uncovered a huge quantity of forged bank and tax documents. There were also fake passports, driving licences and vehicle documentation. Added to the fraudulent credit card information the police found firearms, drugs, and a huge amount of cash.
The officers believe it is the largest operation of fraud they have uncovered in Spain. Those who were arrested are thought to have sold items to Cataluna, UK, and the Republic of Ireland.
This is just the beginning in a series of raids the police are mounting on an international level. Since the police believe much of the items were sold in Ireland the police are trying to track down the fraudsters on the local front. The men have been charged for the crime, but as yet have not given any details of the Ireland gang members.
Fraud even with cloned cards is a rising industry around the world and including Ireland. If you live anywhere in the world there are some precautionary things you should be doing to protect yourself. Many of the gangs, busted up in the last four years have been international rings with gang members in Ireland, UK, India, Thailand, Australia, and even in several areas of Europe.
The credit card companies are working to get new products on the market like the Chip and Pin system; however this is slow in coming and not completely security tight. There are always ways for the gangs to create fraud. The more difficult we make it perhaps the least lucrative it will become, but for now we must be ever conscious of the fraud and how to prevent it.
Some methods for preventing fraud are making sure your card is with you at all times or locked in a safe when not in use. If you are in a restaurant or store make sure the card is always in your sight. Follow the waiter if you have to because a card out of sight presents the perfect opportunity for cloning cards and stealing your personal data.
Be ever vigilante if you use your credit card or debit card in an ATM. Check out the machine before slipping the card into it. Make sure the only camera you see is the ATM camera and that nothing looks like it has been tampered with. Also observe those around you. A cloned card usually means someone is within distance of the cloning machine.
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