|
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=133718
ATM customers warned as card scam spreads across Perth
Police fear crime syndicates are targeting Perth automatic teller machine customers after finding a second skimming device at an ATM.
The discovery of the card-scanning device at a Commonwealth Bank ATM in Dianella on Saturday came just days after thieves stole personal and financial details from about 400 West Australians who used a Bank-West machine in Scarborough.
Police are yet to determine whether the scams are linked and if they are connected to an Eastern States crime spree, where an international syndicate fleeced hundreds of thousands of dollars from cardholders who used ATMs in Melbourne.
It is known that information stolen from the BankWest ATM was used to make cash withdrawals of hundreds of thousands of dollars in Victoria.
A Commonwealth Bank spokesman said none of its customers had reported thefts from their accounts.
Commonwealth Bank customer Steven Iemma dislodged the skimming device on the Dianella ATM on Saturday after his card got stuck. He knew something was wrong when he spotted wires and a battery on the underside of the slot.
“I had seen reports of other skimming scams, so I went to the police straight away,” Mr Iemma said.
It is the first time police in WA have recovered a skimming device. The BankWest theft was not detected until thieves had removed the device.
Victorian and New South Wales police have found more than 60 skimming devices on ATMs in the past three months.
Det-Sen. Const. Kieran Kearns said it was feared organised crime syndicates had started to target WA.
“This type of crime has been prevalent in Europe and more recently the Eastern States but it is new here,” he said. “Many banks in Europe are using microchipped cards, which are more difficult for criminals to compromise, so a lot of the offenders are spreading their wings. There’s every reason to think they’ll continue to target WA consumers.”
In most cases of ATM skimming, inconspicuous devices are fitted over ATM slots to record card details while a hidden camera records a customer’s PIN or transmits it to the criminals. The stolen details are then transferred to blank credit cards in other names.
Sen. Const. Kearns said the device seized information and did not transmit data.
Australian Bankers Association chief executive David Bell said ATM customers were not liable for unauthorised transactions.
PERTH
GABRIELLE KNOWLES |
|