The Association of Banks in Fiji says it is offering its assistance to the Fiji Police Force, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Reserve Bank of Fiji to determine from the suspects of the alleged ATM scam in Lautoka what the source of their skimmed data was.

The Association says the perpetrators were using fraudulent cares with real customer’s card details that it believes were captured via a skimming device either attached to an ATM or via a hand held card reader device.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Association says these transactions can affect all banks customers but currently are mostly limited to customers of ANZ, BSP and Westpac due to their larger ATM reach and interchange capabilities.

It says the vast majority of ATM’s in the country are equipped with cameras, so all banks are able to verify who have transacted at each ATM.

ABIF says customers carrying a MasterCard, Visa Debit Car or any card that can be used overseas should be on the lookout for any fraudulent transactions on their accounts as there have been instances detected where these cards information have been skimmed and are being used overseas.

In the meantime, the Association is advising all bank customers to always cover their hands when entering their PIN number and never give your card and PIN to a 3rd party such as family members or money lenders.

It adds that all banks are taking proactive steps to inspect their ATM’s regularly for any sign of skimming devices and are also looking at technology improvements to combat this type of activity.