Two Plaid Cymru AMs have urged shoppers in the Welsh capital to be vigilant after it emerged the city had become the worst place in the UK for card fraud.
The annual Card Fraud Index revealed card crime in Cardiff has increased by 17% in the last two years. A survey of local residents showed that 37% had been a victim of the crime in the past. The figures show that Cardiff has now overtaken London as the fraud capital of the UK.
CPP, who produced the report, said the average sum of money obtained by fraud in the UK is more than £590. They also said online fraud made up a third of all figures, with card cloning from Chip and Pin devices or cash machines accounting for a fifth of all figures.
Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood, who represents the South Central Region which encompasses Cardiff, said:
“These figures are very disappointing. People in South Wales appear to be losing extortionate sums of money to sophisticated scams. At a time of economic upheaval when money is much tighter that it has been in recent years, people can ill-afford to be losing money hand over fist through card fraud.
“I would urge everyone to be careful when purchasing goods using their credit cards or debit cards and take heed of a number of measures to reduce the chances of them falling victim to this crime.
“This includes not letting anybody take your card out of sight, only carry the cards that you need on you and checking your shopping receipts against your bank statement. People who also use social networking sites also need to be careful about the amount of personal information they include on their profile page. ”
Chris Franks AM, who also represents the South Wales Central region, has written to Chief Constable Peter Vaughan of South Wales Police to ask what measures his force is taking to combat the rise in card fraud.
Last year a Freedom of Information request from the South Wales Central office of Plaid Cymru revealed a large rise in online crime within the South Wales Police force area.
Mr Franks said: “I am concerned at the impact these figures may have on commerce within Cardiff and the wider area. A great deal of effort has been put into trying to emerge from the economic recession in the Welsh capital and these figures will not help matters.
“I have written to the Chief Constable of South Wales Police to seek reassurances that the issue of card crime is being tackled vigorously.”
