The Laois/Offaly Crime Prevention Officer is advising of what to look out for.
Gardaí in the midlands are warning of a new phone scam targeting retailers.
It involves customers asking for a high value of mobile phone top up or for a pre-paid card.
The person involved will then pay with a stolen credit card - insisting they put the details in on the terminal instead of the card machine.
Laois/Offaly Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Graham Kavanagh explains what shopkeepers should watch out for: