A teenager who took part in a high-tech scam in which €18,000 worth of goods were bought with a counterfeit credit card has been released on a probation bond and bound to the peace for one year.
The Dublin Children's Court heard that the Latvian female (17) admitted 15 charges of theft from city centre shops by buying goods with a counterfeit card on five dates from December 21st to December 29nd last year.
Det Catriona Gunne, of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, had given evidence that €18,000 worth of goods had been bought using the card, with the teenager responsible for €8,639.
The investigation started following a complaint that credit cards had been "skimmed", and had their numbers duplicated in a Dublin restaurant.
The teenager used one card to purchase goods in Dublin's Grafton Street, in the ILAC shopping centre and in the Powerscourt shopping complex.
The teenager, who is living in Ireland as a student, had spent €1,226 on shoes in the Bally shoe shop on Grafton Street, bought a number of Gucci watches and €3,000 worth of electrical goods from an Argos outlet.
The court was told she was a "naive pawn", and had used the card to buy goods at the direction of her then boyfriend, who was suspected to have been the ringleader of the scam.
The ex-boyfriend had been responsible for the remainder of the purchases.
Yesterday, Judge Catherine Murphy noted the teenager had continued her studies, and that a report to court had recommended releasing her on a probation supervisory bond for one year.
She adjourned the case until January 22nd to review progress.