The bankcard scam, which has seen Galway shoppers being hit for thousands of euros, could have been going on for the last three months, according to new reports.

Hundreds of Galway residents have already been hit by fraudsters who installed skimming devices in a number of Chip and Pin terminals in retail outlets all over the city and county.

Although the con only came to light at the weekend when a large number of shoppers reported sums of money missing from their accounts, the Irish Payment Services Organisation confirmed to the Galway Independent yesterday that the skimming process may have been going on since early June.

Local businessman Brian Cotter of Cappagh Stores in Knocknacarra told the Galway Independent that many of his customers had been hit by the scam through using laser and credit cards at large retailers in the city.

"I originally got a call about this over the weekend, saying that there were security checks being carried out on ATMs in the area. The first incident came to light when a local woman noticed that €210 had been taken from her account after she used her card in the supermarket. She rang the bank but they were already aware of it and had been tipped off by the Gardaí.

"Two other neighbours also had money taken from their accounts and we have got a large number of people coming in inquiring about it. Even people who did not think they had been affected have been trying to use their cards but finding out they have been skimmed and subsequently blocked by the bank."

The scam is believed to apply to almost all banks, including Bank of Ireland, AIB and Permanent TSB. The fraudsters use the skimming device to obtain bank details before withdrawing large amounts of cash overseas, including Italy and Canada. It has not yet been confirmed whether the skimming system in Galway is related to a similar nationwide scam, although the IPSO maintains that the two are not connected.