Six members of an internet crime gang suspected of stealing up to £3m (€3.65m) by ripping off personal banking details have been arrested.
The arrests in Navan, Co Meath, and London were part of a police investigation into a sophisticated online banking scam.
Five men and one woman, aged 25 to 40, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit online banking fraud and offences under the Computer Misuse Act.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said some of those held are being questioned at a central London police station.
The arrests followed an inquiry into a gang suspected of using fake websites and spam emails to obtain online passwords and credit card numbers.
British police believe more than 10,000 bank accounts and a further 10,000 credit cards have been compromised.
The gang has attempted to steal £1.1m (€1.34m) by taking over online accounts and by abusing credit cards.
Detective Inspector Colin Wetherill, of the Metropolitan Police, said it is not yet known exactly how much has been stolen.
