Cashpoint ‘shoulder surfing’ gang arrested in France

They are accused of watching over victims’ shoulders as they type in their PIN numbers, before stealing bankcards and using them to withdraw money

The group is accused of getting too close to shoppers as they put their PIN codes in when paying, and then stealing their card to use it to withdraw and steal cash
Hannah Thompson
Published Last updated

A gang has been accused of stealing more than €153,000 after peering over victims’ shoulders and watching them type in PIN codes at cashpoint machines.

The suspects -- three women and a man from Bosnia -- were arrested on February 26 in Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), and are now in police custody in Quimper, Brittany, reports FranceInfo.

They are set to appear before the court on April 7 in connection with the alleged crimes, which took place in France and across several other European countries.

The practice has been dubbed ‘shoulder surfing’. Criminals watch the PIN codes being entered, steal the bankcards and then use them to withdraw money.

Suspicion spread after 35 people reported similar incidents, including 19 in Brittany, and 16 in the Grand Ouest region. All said they had had their card stolen after doing a supermarket shop.

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