The new Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority (IFSRA) has warned that consumers should take care when using credit cards abroad.
The warning came today as major credit card firms VISA and Mastercard recalled thousands of Irish credit cards due to a security breach.
Up to 3,000 customers are understood to be affected, including 1,000 with each of the two largest banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland. Around 100 Permanent TSB customers have also been affected.
VISA and Mastercard issued a global warning last week after a security breach at an unnamed US company.
Mr Barry O'Mahony, a spokesman for the Irish Payments Services Organisation, said a large number of Irish credit cards were being withdrawn, but this was "purely a precautionary measure". There were no reports of any Irish VISA card holders being affected by this situation, he added.
ISPO is the umbrella body for payment services for financial institutions in Ireland. It estimates that around €5 million in credit card fraud takes place in Ireland each year.
IFSRA's consumer director Ms Mary O'Dea said credit card customers should take care when using their cards overseas.
She said card "skimming", where card details are taken fraudulently and used to make purchase, was increasing internationally.
"Consumers can help to stamp out skimming by refusing to let their cards out of sight while a transaction is being processed," she said.