Tony steals the show on TV3's Beware Ireland series on frauds and scams

Beware Ireland, a series on frauds, scams and con-artists started last night on TV3. Watch it here. Without doubt the star of the show was Tony, the cockney con-artist turned crime-fighter who showed how the professionals do it. It didn't take him long to swindle a couple of big name city centre stores out of about €2,000 using his home-made bogus ID and utility bills. Click here for Vice UK's film on fraud also featuring Tony. Happy to say, I got my tuppence worth in as well.

Card-skimmer got his spare parts from bank machine makers

ATM scam artist Vitalii Pascari set up a workshop in his Limerick house making the parts card-skimmers needed to steal customer details. It appears he had customers from around the world - cops found US dollars in his house and €30,000 in his bank account. He was caught after Customs spotted a package marked 'anti-skimming devices' at a DHL depot. Pascari got his parts from legitimate ATM manufacturers. He is due for sentence next Tuesday. Read David Raleigh's court report here.

Serial con-artist Frankie Shanley is promising to go straight this time

Lifestyle fraudster Frankie Shanley admitted this week in court that for the first time in years there were no further cases outstanding against him. Obviously locking him up has helped in that regard. Under the care of a prison psychiatrist Frankie said that he is now getting to grips with his problems. Gordon Deegan was in court court for the case read it here. Frankie liked to pretend among things that he was a TV producer and would run off with expensive electronics. He also, using his slick verbal skills, posed as the new Garda in town and drove away from the local garage. He hit the headlines first in the Sunday World and later when he phoned in live to a radio show.