New report from the Banking and Payment Federation Ireland (BPFI) found card fraud accounted for 95% of fraudulent transactions and 36% of gross losses.
In Irish law under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (2001 Act) a person who dishonestly, with the intention of making a gain for himself or herself or another, or of causing loss to another, by any deception induces another to do or refrain from doing an act is guilty of an offence.
Fraudulent card payments were up 8.2% on 2022, compared to an overall increase of 28.8% in debit and credit card payments in the year.
“As many people look forward to the summer holidays ahead, these figures are a timely reminder to be on alert for credit and debit card fraud,” said Niamh Davenport, Head of Financial Crime at the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, which runs the FraudSMART campaign.
“We can all be at risk of being enticed by ‘unbelievable’ holiday deals and letting down our guard when out of our regular routines and environments.”
Holidaymakers are being urged to watch out for getaway deals which are the brainchild of fraudsters using “complex and deceptive” methods. The Payment Fraud Report also noted that other types of fraud had lower volumes but higher average losses. For example, unauthorised electronic transfers accounted for only 3% of the volume but 34% (€33.8m) of losses.
This type of fraud occurs when someone makes a payment through mobile or online banking, without the account holder’s authorisation or permission. This is often referred to as an ‘account takeover’ and usually results from the loss or theft of sensitive payment data such as a victim’s account number or pin.
Consumers and businesses were scammed out of €18.1 million through authorised push payment fraud, when a fraudster tricks a consumer into sending money directly to an account controlled by the criminal.
APP fraud makes up just 1% of fraudulent transactions and 18% of losses.
“FraudSMART is urging holidaymakers to take extra caution when booking travel, accommodation and other holiday-related purchases such as eating out,” said Ms Davenport.
“Watch out for copycat websites offering holiday accommodation and packages which closely mimic a legitimate site or well-known company brand but may have subtle differences in the website name and often have spelling errors.
“These sites aim to steal your card details and personal information for fraudulent activities.”
NB – This is a guide for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have an issue requiring legal advice, please contact any of the team at Nolan Farrell & Goff LLP, whose numbers can be found on our website www.nfg.ie, or email info@nfg.ie.