Bank of New Zealand has temporarilysuspended the ATM cards of approximately 1,300 cardholdersto proactively protect customer accounts after a skimmingdevice was reported to have been affixed to its New Lynn ATMmachine.

While ATM fraud involving skimming devices hasbeen prevalent overseas this is the first known incident tohave impacted New Zealand s 2,300 ATM machines.

Skimmingdevices are used by sophisticated criminals to harvest thePIN number and magnetic strip details from credit and ATMcards. This information is used to produce a fake card,providing access to customer accounts.

"The Bank is veryconcerned about this incident and is working actively withPolice investigating the matter, and other banks," saysShona Bishop, General Manager Marketing and BusinessDevelopment.

"With 210 million ATM transactions in NewZealand annually, the banking industry is treating ATM fraudextremely seriously. The Bank has been working with the NewZealand Banking Industry Association in addressing securityrisks of this kind," Ms Bishop says.

"The Bank is veryconcerned about any security risk and inconvenience toaffected customers. While only a small number of fraudulenttransactions have been identified, we have taken theprecaution of suspending all ATM cards of Bank of NewZealand customers who used the New Lynn ATM from 7 March to28 March," Ms Bishop says.

"We are contacting relevantBank of New Zealand cardholders to let them know what hashappened and why we have suspended their ATM card. We havealso asked those customers to review their recenttransactions to ensure their accounts have not beencompromised. No Bank of New Zealand customer will suffer anyloss as a result of this incident," says Ms Bishop.

Bankof New Zealand customers who believe their accounts may havebeen compromised are invited to contact the Bank on 0800 275269.

The affected cards will remain suspended until a newPIN number has been assigned. This can be done at any Bankof New Zealand branch. If preferred, customers can request anew ATM card which will be providedfree-of-charge.

Cardholders from other banks who used theBank of New Zealand ATM during this time may also need tocontact their bank, says Ms Bishop, and Bank of New Zealandwas working closely with the other banks to keep theminformed and abreast of the situation.

"ATM fraud is anindustry-wide issue, globally. No banking institution canconsider itself unaffected due to the sophistication anddetermination of the criminals involved. This incident is areminder that New Zealand is not immune to the actions ofhighly organised fraudsters," Ms Bishop says.

To avoid ATMfraud cardholders should take the following precautions atall times:

- Keep PIN numbers safe and don't reveal a PINto anyone. - Be wary of people trying to offer "help" atan ATM. - Look at the ATM before using it. If it doesn'tlook right, for instance don't use it, report it. - Ifan ATM has any unusual signage, don't use it. No bank wouldhang a sign that says, "Swipe your ATM here before insertingit in the card reader" or something to that effect. - Ifa card is not returned after the transaction or afterpressing cancel, immediately contact the institution thatissued it. - Check bank statements to be sure there areno unusual transactions.

ENDS
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