Card fraud losses in Northern Ireland have dropped due to new technology being used.
The amount lost was reduced to stg£700,000 (€1 million) last year, down 12 per cent from 2005.
Figures from the UK payments association, Apacs, show the level had fallen for the second year running in Northern Ireland.
Andrew Fallis, Head of Card Development at Northern Bank, attributed the success to the chip and pin system used to protect credit cards.
He said: "Fraud peaked in 2004 when the figure reached £1.1 million, but thanks to the successful introduction of chip and pin technology this figure is in decline."
Despite the progress, Mr Fallis warned banks, police and customers against complacency.
"Criminals are still targeting cards with the aim of copying the magnetic stripe data. They use this data to create counterfeit magnetic stripe cards that can potentially be used in countries that haven't upgraded to chip and pin.