Gardai have warned people to keep their credit cards and personal details safe.

Fraud Squad raid Navan house as part of UK probe

A house in Navan was searched by Garda Fraud Squad officers last week as part of an international investigation into a UK internet banking scam where more than €4m is suspected to have been stolen from unsuspecting bank account holders. Detectives seized a quantity of documents while assisting an investigation by the London Metropolitan Police Service's eCrime Unit. The raid followed the arrests of five men and one woman, aged between 25 and 40 and living in London, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit online banking fraud and other offences. One of the men arrested also had an address in Navan, and this house was searched by Gardai on Tuesday of last week. It is understood that the man is not from Ireland. No arrests were made during the Irish side of the operation. The gang is suspected of stealing up to €430,000 from UK bank accounts by ripping off personal internet banking details and a further €3.6m is thought to have been stolen through the fraudulent use of UK credit cards. According to the Metropolitan Police, the offences were committed almost entirely online. The gang is suspected of using fake websites and spam emails to obtain online passwords and credit card numbers. More than 10,000 bank accounts and a further 10,000 credit cards are believed to have been compromised by the gang's activities according to investigators. The scam involved gang members sending large quantities of unsolicited spam emails, directing victims to spoof web sites, purporting to be legitimate online banking sites. Once a victim reached the website, they were lured into providing their banking passwords and other personal information. The information was used by the suspected fraudsters to then unlawfully enter the victims' online bank accounts and transfer funds. Credit card details were obtained and exploited in the same way. Meanwhile, Superintendent Michael Devine of Navan Garda Station has warned people never to give out their bank or credit card details in response to such 'phishing' emails. He has also warned people to ensure they keep their credit cards in a safe place or on their person at all times so they do not fall into the wrong hands.