Max Matavire
Port Elizabeth police have expressed concern at the increase of the number cases of card-skimming in the city and surrounding areas.
The suspects were using “extremely sophisticated” hi-tech equipment to clone bank cards at ATMs, police said.
Police in the city are currently investigating 84 cases linked to card-skimming and they suspect there is a syndicate operating the scheme. About R350000 has been siphoned out of people’s bank accounts this year alone.
This revelation came after the arrest of three foreigners who were found in possession of a hi-tech skimming device, which they had planted at an ATM at the Fiveways Spar in Cape Road.
Police have described the device as “extremely sophisticated” with a built-in camera to record pin codes as well as a magnetic strip reader to clone bank card details.
The three suspects are Koji Cugio, 31, Jason Foo Hui Ooi, 28, and Lim Chon Lim, 29. They were arrested following a police tip-off that the device was on an ATM.
Port Elizabeth police spokesperson Capt Sandra Janse van Rensburg yesterday said card-skimming was a huge problem, and that numerous cases across the country were possibly linked to the trio. In Nelson Mandela Bay and surrounding areas, 37 cases were reported in January, about 10 in February and 17 cases last month.
So far this month, 20 cases have been received by police, nine of them from the Grahamstown area. All the three suspects were arrested as they removed the device from the ATM. Capt Van Rensburg said, two men were dropped off at the ATM by a man driving a leased car. He was also arrested after undercover detectives followed him when he left the shopping complex.
“The men claimed not to know where they were staying and so the detectives had to use their GPS and established that they frequented a house in Water Road, Walmer. Police went to the house and found another card-skimmer and various components to manufacture skimming devices in the back room. The house was rented by one of the suspects,” said Capt Van Rensburg.
They have appeared in court and will do so again tomorrow.