KEY POINTS:
International fraudsters using a high-tech ATM scam have struck in Rotorua for the first time.
Nine Westpac customers have had their money cards read by an illegal electronic skimming device.
The device is placed over the slot where a bank card is inserted and reads the data from
the magnetic strip.
One of the customers who lost money, Ash Valentine, is warning people to be careful after having $230 stolen from his bank account on Wednesday.
Valentine said he stopped at the machine to check his account balance and did not withdraw any money.
He was suspicious of the money machine because there was a blank metal plate for the card slot instead of the normal plastic green version.
The next day his girlfriend asked why he had withdrawn $230.
While checking his account, he found a number of withdrawals totalling that amount had been made without his knowledge.
He immediately contacted Westpac where staff told him the money was being withdrawn from a money card in Romania.
Valentine said the bank froze his money card and were investigating.
Rotorua Senior Sergeant Tony Colby said the bank alerted police after the electronic reader was discovered.
Colby said it was the first time an electronic reader had been found on an ATM in Rotorua and warned card holders to be vigilant.
Westpac spokeswoman Liz MacIntyre confirmed nine customers had their cards skimmed but said not all attempts were successful.
She said that skimming was rare in New Zealand but the banks took it seriously. "As soon as the skimming device was discovered, we began to contact customers to prevent fraud on their accounts.
"We also advised other banks regarding their customers who had used the particular ATM during the period of risk."
Auckland police are investigating a skimming attack on National Bank ATMs in Queen St, Vulcan Lane and Parnell during a period in November when they were used by more than 800 customers.
The bank has refused to reveal how much was taken, other than to say the amount was "significant".
The incident is believed to be linked to another attack in Hamilton, which also took place in November, and came soon after the successful prosecution of illegal immigrants, Jan Marius Scutariu and Andrei Iustin Raileanu.
The Romanians stole nearly $35,000 with cloned credit cards after gluing a skimming device to one of Westpac's machine in Hamilton fitted with a "jitter" mechanism to prevent such an incident.
Meanwhile, an Asian crime ring bought more than $100,000 of jewellery, designer handbags, computers and plush carpet with "skimmed" credit cards while holidaying in New Zealand last year.
MacIntyre said members of the public should always be cautious at money machines and inform their bank and police if they noticed anything unusual.
"Similarly if anyone appears to be attempting to look over your shoulder - do not enter your PIN, cancel your transaction and leave that area."
- Rotorua Daily Post and Jared Savage
