People in France are being warned over a new credit card scam in which thieves work together to steal bank cards and PIN codes, after a team of three stole €14,000 before being discovered.
The scam, dubbed “back to back”, had been happening recently in Manche, Normandy.
It sees thieves surreptitiously take note of a person’s secret PIN code, such as when they are paying for food at a restaurant and then another scammer later distracts the person and steals their card without them realising.
The scammers then have both the card and the PIN code and can use the card at an ATM or as normal to steal money.
Three men were found to be operating the scam in a restaurant in Coutances, Manche, and had stolen €14,000. One of them was able to be identified and appeared before court on June 1, with an interpreter.
He claimed to only be an “accomplice” and to be used only to write down PIN numbers but his criminal record showed a similar prosecution, leading the prosecutor to ask for a jail term.
The man was sentenced to one year in prison with an electronic bracelet and ordered to pay a fine of €1,450.
Police advise people to be very careful when typing PIN numbers on card machines, especially if the machine is in full view of others, such as in a restaurant setting.
Louvre ticket resale scam
It comes as a team of 14 ticket resellers were arrested in Paris, accused of selling fake tickets to the Louvre museum.
Police officers from the Parisian security directorate (DSPAP)…
