Scammers target PINs

A new scam reinforces warnings to never give out PIN numbers.

Bank card users are being warned again to keep their PIN numbers secure and be aware of any unsolicited approach from people offering prizes.

Banking Ombudsman Deborah Battell said her office was dealing with frauds and scams involved pilfered PINs on a daily basis.

Ms Battell, formerly of Wanganui, said the scammers were not just targeting the elderly and vulnerable and were using "all sorts of tricks" to get people to reveal their bank card PINs.

Ms Battell told the Chronicle that while scammers targeted certain sections of the community, others fraudsters did not.

"For example, they'll use small cameras to record keystrokes someone may use at an ATM so that sort of thing doesn't target just one section of the community. It's anybody."

Ms Battell says scammers were "very cunning" at getting PINs out of people who made matters worse for themselves if they used one PIN for multiple cards.

Her office dealt with a case recently where a woman revealed a PIN that she used for more than one card.

The complainant took a phone call at work from someone saying she had won a $1000 gift voucher, and was asked for a four-digit password to redeem it. She gave three different passwords but each time was told it was taken. She was then given a random one.

"At the time she didn't know her handbag, with two Eftpos cards and a loyalty card for the retailer supposedly offering the voucher, had been stolen. The voucher was a trick to get her bank card PINs which she revealed to the caller," she said.

Ms Battell said the complainant lost $6000 because she revealed her PINs. She was tricked by a scammer who played on the fact most people limited the number of PINs they have.

"I know it's sometimes difficult to have a variety of numbers but we strongly advise people to have PIN numbers unique to each card you may have," she said.