ATM fraud ring nabbed in Dar es Salaam

By KHALID MAGRAM
Dar es Salaam police Cmdr. Suleiman Kova is warning Dar residents to be vigilance and take extra caution when using Automated Teller Machines.

Cmdr. Kova was speaking with news reporters in a news conference in the former Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam yesterday afternoon.

“There is a vast wave of criminality involving ATM machines,” Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Cmdr. Kova said. “Police operation is underway to nab people involved in this criminal activity.”

Police arrested Nedko Stanchen (37) and Stella Nedekcheva (23), both Bulgarian nationals over allegations of stealing Tsh70m/- from different customer’s account through ATM machines in country’s commercial capital on Saturday.

Kova told reporters, the criminal scheme using ATM was uncovered after a janitor, who was cleaning the ATM room discovered a camera and an instrument in the ATM for recording customer’s card information. He said the matter was reported to the police and an investigation team was launched to trap the culprits.

“We arrested them on Saturday at the same bank branch drawing money. When we searched them they had five ATM cards for Barclays Bank and one card for Stanbic Bank on them,” said Cmdr Kova.

In the effort to calm their customers, The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) Governor Prof Benno Ndulu has today announced, BoT is collaborating with local and international security agencies to step up measures to prevent ATM robberies in the country.
“We are collaborating with international security agencies to try to safeguard our bank systems. To us this is a new technology,” the Governor said.
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This kind of theft is popular in Asia, Europe and North America, including here in Toronto, Canada. Criminals place a hidden camera in ATM’s and steal personal identification numbers or PIN. They also record other account information through the card slots via a card reader. Soon customer’s account information is compromised. Criminals then obtain fake plastic cards, transfer all the information on it, and make transactions as the card belongs to them.
Reached for comments the Barclays bank Corporate Affairs Manager Majumbe Chamungwana said: “We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, however we are fully cooperating with the authorities while safeguarding at all times the interest of our customers.”

~ by Khalid Magram on July 22, 2009.