Card skimming incidents on the rise in Wellington
Wellington police have received 12 reports of offending involving card skimming in the last week.
Photo:
123RF
Police say people have lost thousands of dollars in card skimming incidents in Wellington.
Card skimming is where an offender installs a device with a camera on an ATM or POS (point of sale) terminal to capture data and record pin numbers with a view to creating fake payment cards and making unauthorised purchases or stealing funds from victim's accounts.
In a statement, acting inspector Tim McIntosh said police had seen a big increase in the number of victims losing large amounts of money due to card skimming incidents.
"In the last week alone, we have received around 12 reports of this offending, where in some cases victims have lost over $5,000."
The public needs to be aware of this type of offending so they can take precautions to keep their cards and data safe, he said.
There are a number of steps people can take to do this:
Police said anyone who thought they had been a victim of card skimming should contact their bank immediately and cancel their cards and accounts.
Card skimming victims were also advised to report it to police with as much information about the incident as possible through 105.police.govt.nz or by calling 105.
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