Limerick gardai warn of new 'shoulder surfing' scam

GARDAI in Limerick are warning of a new scam that is gaining traction. 

Criminals are now targeting late night revelers who may be out socialising in bars, night clubs and restaurants.

While the victim is paying for items the criminal is looking over his or her shoulder to see the passcode that the victim is using to open their phone. This is commonly known as ‘shoulder surfing’.

The criminal will then memorise the passcode and subsequently target the victim and attempt to steal the phone.

Once the phone is in the hands of the criminal they will try and access the victim’s online banking app.

Limerick wakes up to shuttered premises as fast-food restaurant shuts down

Unfortunately, most people use similar pin codes for a variety of purposes including their passcode and online banking app.

Consequently, the criminal will access the banking app and transfer funds from the victim's account to their own account. This occurs in minutes and could include large sums of money.

Garda John Finnerty from Henry St garda station said: "We would advise late night revelers to be very conscious of using their
mobile phones in public.

"We would advise all mobile phone owners to use different pin codes for different apps on all their devices. This is inconvenient but it provides more protection from online fraud."