KEY POINTS:
The number of reported bank card frauds has doubled nationally in the past year and quadrupled in Auckland City, but police say they have no dedicated investigation team.
A Herald examination of police statistics shows recorded instances of credit and bank card fraud jumped from 1712 in the 2006/07 financial year to 3948 in the year to June.
In Auckland, the number of reported credit card frauds jumped 400 per cent in 2007/08.
Some 399 cases of card fraud were reported in 2006/07, with 156 of those resolved. In 2007/08, 1685 frauds were reported, with 197 resolved.
But while reported cases have doubled nationally, the resolution rate is moving in the opposite direction, with fewer than half (769) of reported card frauds being resolved in 2006/07, and just over a quarter (1061) in 2007/08.
Not that the word "resolved" indicates a successful conviction, it means only that police have managed to charge someone.
But Bill Crane of the police E-crime Group told the Herald "NZ Police don't currently have anyone dedicated solely to credit card fraud".
Cases were handled "as they come in" and therefore "any information provided would be purely anecdotal".
About 6 per cent of the E-crime Group's work is fraud related, he said.
The figures were a surprise for national crime manager Detective Superintendent Win van der Velde, who would not comment directly on the statistics.
But he said there were a number of police units across the country with a "dedicated fraud [investigating] capability".
Fraud as a whole had a resolution rate of 45 per cent to 50 per cent, and there were specialist "financial intelligence" and "identity intelligence" units, he said.
While the number of card frauds in Auckland could be attributable to a "series" of offending, Mr van der Velde said he would be investigating, personally, the reason for such high figures.
"The bottom line is I don't know the answer to that question. I will certainly find out, because you have brought it to my attention.
"I didn't know it was quite like that."
In June, police intelligence officer Detective Sergeant David Kennedy told the Herald's sister paper the Herald on Sunday that the 900 cases of identity theft - of which credit card fraud forms a part - in the preceding year were likely "a fraction of the real volume".
Bankers' Association spokesman Roger Bishop, said there were simple safety tips for customers to keep their cards safe.
"The standard rule always is, do not disclose your information on line. Do not disclose your password, or your pin number."
In most cases customers are not liable for losses incurred by the fraudulent use of a credit card, and banks have insurance for that purpose.
Banks have fraud-detection measures and the banking code of practice outlines a customer's responsibilities to keep PIN numbers and passwords secure and inform the bank immediately if they suspect fraud or theft has occurred. Mr Crane said that while banks and their customers were becoming more crime conscious, as the number of computers grew, so did the number of "new or careless users".
"The crooks realise this, and they have more and better tools at their disposal as well. It's the usual cat-and-mouse game that's always been around."
Westpac spokesman Craig Dowling said that while criminals were getting smarter, the means of catching them were also improving.
"Constant attention is given to the issue of card fraud because of potential costs to banks. That is just a function of the nature of a product which is all about flexibility and ease of use and, unfortunately, a function of the number of people out there looking to rip other people off."
* Keeping your card safe:
Choose a sensible pin - no sequential or easy-to-guess numbers.
Memorise pin, don't write down.
Do not let anyone see you logging into A" or Eftpos terminals.
Remember to remove your card from the slot.
Notify bank of change of address for mailing out of new cards.
